Nationwide Exposure of CCTV Vulnerabilities Raises Serious Concerns Over India’s IoT Security and Cyber Protection

A new cyber-security report has highlighted a severe national issue in India, thousands of IP-based CCTV cameras across the country are exposed online with inadequate security, making them easy targets for hackers. This follows nearly months of the terrible Rajkot privacy crisis, in which hacked CCTV footage from a gynaecology hospital went online. Despite the anger that followed, the most recent findings suggest that many regions, including Gujarat, remain extremely vulnerable. 

According to a US-based cyber-security specialist who monitors IoT device exposures, 777 IP cameras in Gujarat alone were found to be accessible on the open internet without sufficient protection measures. These cameras, which were commonly put in houses, small companies, baby rooms, clinics, and residential complexes, had weak passwords and out-of-date security settings. Earlier this year, hackers stole approximately 50,000 private video clips from just 80 insecure camera dashboards in India, then sold the data on Telegram groups and illegal websites. 

Gujarat's worst-affected areas are Ahmedabad (399 exposed cameras), Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, and Gandhinagar. However, cybersecurity researchers caution that this is simply one aspect of a much wider problem. In 2025, more than 21,444 vulnerable cameras were discovered online in India, all of which were open, unguarded, and ready for attack. Major cities are experiencing the same challenge. Delhi has 2,914 susceptible cameras, followed by Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai and Kolkata. These figures clearly demonstrate that the Rajkot case was not an isolated event, but rather part of a larger national cybersecurity failure. 

According to experts, the main concern is the convenience features of low-cost IP cameras, which sometimes come with preset passwords such as "admin123". Many devices also employ predictable Unique ID (UID) patterns, which attackers can readily crack with automated techniques. Once accessed, a few compromised dashboards can provide tens of thousands of private video clips, including footage from hospital rooms, bedrooms, baby monitors, and even movie theaters. Security experts warn that consumers rarely change factory passwords, upgrade firmware, or eliminate unneeded remote-access functions. This leaves even home cameras susceptible to global cybercriminals.

The increased use of IP cameras emphasizes the critical need for improved digital safety awareness, tighter security policies, and frequent equipment maintenance. Without fundamental measures, personal spaces across India will remain vulnerable to significant privacy violations.

Information referenced in this article is from Times of India