How to make sure your CCTV footage is secure
As recent news events involving former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock have revealed, while CCTV footage can help to deter criminals or intruders, it’s very important to make sure that the recorded footage is kept very secure and only accessed by trusted members of your team!
In the case of Mr Hancock it has emerged that an anonymous person managed to access footage from a CCTV camera used to monitor a doorway inside government buildings and managed to retain that footage well after it was officially erased after the standard 30 day period.
Here are a few simple ways to making sure that your CCTV camera footage is secure:
1. Consider using wired CCTV cameras rather than wireless ones.
Any device connected to the internet can be hacked, and that includes home security cameras. If an area is particularly sensitive in terms of security, wired cameras are less vulnerable than Wi-Fi cameras, and those with local storage are less vulnerable than cameras that store video on a cloud-based server.
2. Use password managers
Even wired CCTV cameras can be hacked, so use password managers such as 1Password and LastPass which make keeping strong passwords really easy and use two factor authentication, so any attempt to change the password etc must go through your phone or another method of verification and update firmware regularly (or get a security company such as Waldons to take care of this with a maintenance contract). This will stop most low level hackers from accessing your CCTV camera.
3. Only purchase security cameras from well-known companies.
Some companies store backup footage on the cloud, so only buy from companies that are known and trusted with good reviews from other businesses who are careful about their security. Some smaller companies back up all footage on the cloud and you may not know how secure that is or who has access to it.
4. Disable the camera
It’s always possible to get ‘caught in the moment’ but if you do need to have privacy, unplug or physically cover the camera.
5. Keep a list of everyone who has access to your CCTV camera footage.
While most people are focussed on hackers, many miss the obvious fact that staff authorized to access recordings can misuse CCTV footage. Ensure you control who has access to CCTV footage and keep good records of those individuals.
If you’d like a free consultation to check for flaws in your security system and find out helpful measures to suit your needs and budget call us on 01726 65636 or email us at security@waldons.co.uk
