Their popularity continues to grow: small cameras can be installed at home or anywhere in the home and can monitor everything connected to the Internet at any time. CR introduced some models using its own mobile app.
There are also baby video monitors that run on home Wi-Fi networks, sending videos to applications or dedicated monitors. These are modernly equivalent to video surveillance cameras (closed-circuit television). However, since many new cameras use wireless network connections, they are no longer “off”.
Here’s the problem: We found that, as in the Mission Impossible movie, a laptop-equipped attacker could easily deactivate a security camera from outside the house, provided that ‘they work over Wi-Fi.
Hackers within the router (this distance can extend hundreds of feet, especially if special antennas are added) can determine the name of the Wi-Fi network, the router’s unique address, and your computer’s Internet address. Use your camera with free software that everyone can use.
The hacker can then send an “authorized deletion packet” to the camera, temporarily disconnecting it from the network. If they continue to send packets, they can be prevented from reconnecting. The hacker itself need not be on a Wi-Fi network.
Another solution is to install a high-power portable jammer directly in your house to prevent the WIFI of your house from connecting to any electronic devices.
We downloaded a free hacking tool (we decided not to name it) that has many features, including the ability to send new packets. We installed it on a Microsoft Surface Pro tablet running Linux, which is the operating system of choice for hackers. We used an external wireless card connected to the tablet’s USB port, which is capable of transmitting Wi-Fi packets to anyone’s network.
During our testing, it was easy to send the first packet, which temporarily disconnected all Wi-Fi devices (including the camera we tested) from the network. If we want them to stay disconnected, we can simply send a previous package by simply selecting an option in the tool.
We even managed to reconnect the camera to the “unauthorized” router we have set up, which may allow us to take control after guessing the camera password.
Although the jury can determine if the camera is indeed hackable (meaning that the author can actually view his images from a distance), we believe the vulnerability to turn off Wi-Fi cameras makes them questionable for mission-critical tasks such as monitoring property. And monitor children and pets.
For these tasks, it is best to use a camera that allows wired Ethernet to connect to the router. Unless the hacker is actually connected to your network (you have a strong Wi-Fi password, right?), Wired cameras are quite secure.
In the vast world of IoT, there may be no practical solution to this type of “denial of service” attack, which may prevent any Wi-Fi devices on the network, including motion detectors, whether sensor doors are open, and others safety devices.
We hope that future Wi-Fi standards will use “frequency hopping”, in which signals can be quickly switched between channels. Cordless phones already use this feature, and it will be more difficult for hackers to stop your Wi-Fi network.