VNExpress-Aug 29
More than 800,000 surveillance cameras in Vietnam are sharing image data online, with many devices vulnerable to being hijacked for cyberattacks, according to the Ministry of Information and Communications. When announcing the draft of the National Technical Regulation on Basic Information Security Requirements for IP Cameras in Vietnam earlier this week, the ministry reported that its system had detected over 800,000 surveillance cameras in Vietnam publicly sharing image data as of May. Since 2014, there has been a website that allowed access to more than 700,000 surveillance cameras worldwide, including thousands in Vietnam. The image data is even traded, especially from cameras installed in sensitive locations like bedrooms, changing rooms and spa shops. On Facebook and Telegram, many groups advertise access to live cameras for relatively cheap. For example, as advertised on social media, a service priced at VND800,000 (US$32) allows buyers to access 15 cameras, with the provider claiming to have “hundreds of thousands of options for buyers”, indicating that a significant number of cameras are under unauthorized control. The Ministry of Information and Communications said in the draft that over the past five years, Vietnam imported approximately 16 million surveillance cameras of various types, with 96.3% from China, citing data from the General Department of Customs. Experts view surveillance cameras as computers equipped with full processors, internet connectivity, and capabilities like hearing, seeing and analyzing when integrated with AI, yet without the high technical standards required for computers operating in Vietnam. These devices often work 24/7 in areas inaccessible to humans, making a compromised camera potentially more dangerous than other devices by collecting information about individuals, families or organizations. Read more at: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/crime/over-800-000-exposed-surveillance-cameras-in-vietnam-spark-privacy-concerns-4787121.html
