Following the news that baby monitors, CCTV cameras and webcams from UK homes and businesses have been hacked and uploaded onto Russian website Mark James, security specialist at ESET explains why international boundaries:
“It is down to the individual to decide where to place the camera - once placed, a decision should be made as to what is made available for online steaming. I totally understand why you would want to stream your front drive or even the alleyway providing access to the back of the house but honestly in what situation would you need to stream your children’s bedroom outside of your private residence?
“One of the biggest problems with international boundaries is that the rules are governed by the country hosting the server. It is and always will be the problem with the internet until changes are made by an organisation with global authority but the chances of that happening are extremely slim.
“The end user needs to be fully aware that a default password exists with easy instructions on how to change it. The manufacturer could make a default password and then force the user to change it on first use to something other than itself, but it may drive the cost of the unit up. As for changing the password - the point here is not about how hard or long the password is, it’s about not using the default password.”