Foscam - Hacked Baby Monitor

[drvnbysound]

I know this probably isn't news to many of you, but I wanted to share for others who have IP cameras/devices that are web enabled... particularly those with default settings:
 
http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/14/tech/web/hacked-baby-monitor/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

 

[Del91574]

as many say, you can't fix stupidity or lack of knowledge... people want net enabled everything but do little to secure their network and ports. I can see 5 different networks right now from my house on 3 acres....4 have no security to speak of.

 

[drvnbysound]

A friend told me about this earlier this week...
 
www.shodanhq.com
 
A search engine that is specific for obtaining openly and accessible devices and networks, many with default user names and passwords. It's one thing to know that there are bots that are constantly scanning networks for this information and knowing that 'someone' has access to the information... it's a different game to know that it's being cataloged and is searchable by anyone.

 

[sda]

As I found out (when I looked at my test camera log and found some Brazillian IP address on it), the camera and the router conspire together to punch a hole in your firewall without your explicit permission.  By default, UPnP is enabled by default on the camera and the router, the camera tells the router to open a port and the router blindly obeys.  How rude.

 

[tmbrown97]

Yeah UPnP is scary stuff - nothing should be touching your router without your explicit permission!

 

[pete_c]

My Foscam PT died (painstakingly slow death of about 2 years) this past week (finally) after re-powering it a couple of times.  Might have been a power supply failure. Didn't bother checking. 
 
This was the second generation of the Foscam PT. 
 
I did use it with ZM.  That said I had to tweak down the ZM capture buffer as the camera would always lock up on me when it was connected to the ZM box.  That and changing the ambient light and moving (PT wise) could also lock it up.
 
It is now laid to rest in a plastic box next to its first gen peer; probably never to be utilized again.

 

[johnboy70_99]

I wish my Foscam lasted 2 years. Dropped dead after 2 months. I gambled on buying cheaply made junk hoping I would get lucky, and lost. I am saving up now for a better PTZ camera.

 

[pete_c]

You can today now purchase PTZ digital IP cams but they are very expensive; but relatively cheaper than the analog similiar PTZ of yesteryear.  Still there is moving parts in it.
 
Sad though cuz I did get enamored with the PCB board inside of the gen 2 device; geez it's an inanimate object.
 
BTW my very old Panasonic PT is still doing OK after many many years now.