A field observer has cautioned the public that the expanding CCTV network of the UK can become a potential target for hacking attack.
As Tony Porter, surveillance camera commissioner, indicated towards a possible risk of intrusion on Britain’s citizens, he also mentions this could be done individually or by state actors.
He referred to a major cyber infiltration incident that took place in Washington, DC, last year in January, in which 100+ CCTV cameras were found to be affected by ransomware.
According to him cyber security has become one of the biggest concerns of the digital era.
Surveillance cameras were not always identified as potential targets for hacking, but he stated to the press association that as we have advanced from analogue to digital surveillance, nearly all cameras are connected to a large group of IT networks.
The cameras according to him must have the same level of cyber security as the mainframes, because CCTV camera hacking can cause serious issues.
According to a research in 2013, Britain has one of the world’s most extensive CCTV camera networks, with the numbers reaching up to 6 million and growing.
The sophisticated and secure Automatic Number Plate Recognition ANPR system is also being recommended after the assessment.
The ANPR is one of UK’s largest non-military database, with almost 9000 CCTV cameras throughout the country that gather between 25 mil to 40 mil fragments of data a day, while almost 20 billion ‘read’ are held.
As per recommendations of the assessment, a system with stricter controls should be placed by the government on a statutory footing.
Cyber criminals are using and creating new ways to cause harm to destabilize countries as per their own agendas, therefore it has become vitally important to become resilient to the malevolent forces and step up our game.
