Hikvision USA Misleads Dealers On Backdoor
Author: John Honovich, Published on Oct 03, 2017Hikvision USA emailed their dealers overnight with their 5th cyber security 'special bulletin' of the year.
Misleading
Unfortunately, they have misled their dealers by omitting critical information:
- Details of how to exploit the vulnerability were published last month. This is new, significantly increasing the risk to Hikvision dealers and not mentioned by Hikvision at all.
- The vulnerability can be easily exploited. This is new and important since it further increases the risk to Hikvision dealers.
- Hikvision IP cameras are being actively hacked using this exploit and Hikvision is well aware of this. However, Hikvision does not mention this to their dealers.
Hikvision USA is clearly concerned about scaring or upsetting their dealers. And some dealers will never find out the truth. But many others will and it will rightfully reduce their trust in Hikvision.
One general pattern that has emerged is that dealers can understand vulnerabilities occurring (though certainly not as bad as Hikvision's backdoor) but they want their manufacturers to be up front and clear about risks. Hikvision does not need to call this a backdoor but they certainly can be clear about critical details like the exploit being publicly known and that attacks against vulnerable Hikvision devices are now ongoing.
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Comments (39)
Maybe, if Hikvision starts another big discount-week, will everybody forget about this disturbing IT-Security-Thing?
Edit: Misssing - - > :)
I doubt it.
I swear every time I log into ADI, Hik is on sale. Its the norm now. Now if Milestone or AXIS ran a 20% off sale, that might distract.
I am a Hikvision Dealer, I dont feel exploited, I do not think I have been tricked or mislead by the company. I buy a substantial quantity of equipment and converse with the company often so please to keep this honest put it in print (Black & White) the Dealer's name , their Dealer # and where they are located that has told IPVM directly that they feel mistreated or tricked, please.
That's because you read IPVM every day and know about their issues through us. You're welcome.
As for asking for the dealers name, #, and location, shouldn't every seller or installer of Hikvision product also list that Hikvision is majority owned by the Chinese Communist Government? Just guessing, I have no statistics here, but I feel confident a majority of end users and corporate purchase managers would feel "exploited", tricked", or "mislead" if later discovering what they bought.
Hikvision needs to learn how to get ahead of issues like this and to promote a more proactive approach to fixing and marketing/communicating the fix to their integrator network.
I also think IPVM loves to pile on a bit. I appreciate hearing about the issues within the IPVM forum, but the coverage doesn't need to be a new headline everyday about how stupid and untrustworthy Hikvision continues to be.
The software industry and specifically Microsoft have been fighting OS security vulnerabilities for decades. No one really pay attention to forced Microsoft updates any longer. Just a matter of business/upgrades as usual.
This is my first post, I'm sure I'll get ripped to shreds....
Brian, thanks for the feedback!
I definitely think reasonable people can disagree about the amount of coverage of any one company or topic. We posted positively last week on Hikvision when Hikvision Europe did a better job of communicating. We posted negatively today on Hikvision when Hikvision USA did a poor job.
Agree, equal important to acknowledge positive as negative, no matter what subject it has.
One day, I hope and believes (?) it will be acknowledged and easy to keep these things updated as well.
It's software written by humans, humans do errors, it's all about how you own the errors, learn from them and not to be ashamed to fix them.
It's software written by humans, humans do errors, it's all about how you own the errors, learn from them and not to be ashamed to fix them.
I have to call BS on this.This is not simple human error. This is pure laziness, and sloppy work. I am not sure I am ready to say it was done on purpose.
Hik and Dahua should step up, hire a 3rd party if necessary and fix this once and for all.
Neither one has done a decent job of addressing the issues or fixing them. They just get away with bare minimum, if that
I think they are both pretty big POS right now.
This is pure laziness, and sloppy work. I am not sure I am ready to say it was done on purpose.
Hik and Dahua should step up, hire a 3rd party if necessary and fix this once and for all. Neither one has done a decent job of addressing the issues or fixing them. They just get away with bare minimum
fix this once and for all.
There was an article published in the States on the 25th by a Hik representative in which they brushed over mostly everything and branded it as rubbish. The same article in which IPVM was accused of 'tabloid' tactics and JH got a sneer or two as well (supposed he's used to that now anyway). Unfortunately I lost the link but I'm sure someone else will have it. It again underlines the arrogance and denial within Hikvision and their sheer incompetence when it comes to dealing with the issues disclosed.
There was an article published in the States on the 25th by a Hik representative in which they brushed over mostly everything and branded it as rubbish. The same article in which IPVM was accused of 'tabloid' tactics
Yes, this is the Hikvision blog post you are alluding to:
It would be alot easier on Hikvision and Dahua to allow the user to receive push notifications to notify the user to upgrade their equipment of some sort as opposed to putting a notice every 2 months on their website reminding people to upgrade their firmware. Hopefully the take this into consideration as a feature for future firmwares. I would like to see a press release announcing this.
I spoke with HikVision USA about "Cyber Security" at ASIS 2017 last week and it sounds like their new Director of Cyber Security is at least aware of the situation.
He said two things that gave me some hope as an integrator.
Step 1:
He wants to update the EULA to include forced updates on HikVision's devices so that if a situation like this were to occur again they could push firmware to the device.
Step 2:
He wants to enable the NVR/VMS Software to push firmware over the LAN to make firmware updates more manageable in the future.
That being said words mean little in this industry. Hopefully he can actually accomplish what he has set out to do.
1. "Want to do" and "achieve what to do" is two totally different things.
2. "Forced updates" I don't like, but notification about new updates along with easy "update" I do like (and not by using P2P)
3. "Updates more manageble" I also like (Dahua ????)
I spoke with HikVision USA .... their new Director of Cyber Security is at least aware of the situation.... He wants to update the EULA
Updating the EULA would be good idea. While they are at it, they should re-examine this: Hikvision EULA Rejects Responsibility for Hacked Hikvision Cameras (Hi Chuck).
John - what do you mean, "Hi Chuck"?
Maybe this deserves it's on thread, and 'misleading' might be a bit strong here, but I recently came across this in the description posted by a Hik employee in the UK;
Providing professional services to integrators and end users, demonstrating HikVisions hardware with 3 times the low light performance of other leading brands, easy to use licensed software and demonstrating how Hikvision can offer the industries lowest Total Cost of Ownership and Business Intelligence to take your business to the next level of site management.
I wasn't aware of Hikvision offering licensed software...did I miss something?
easy to use licensed software
Even free software (like the iVMS-4200) has a license technically. And Hikvision has paid software like the iVMS-5200 and HikCentral, which he could be alluding too.
How could anyone vote no on either of those questions? Of course their dealers should be made as fully aware as soon as possible in any security issue.
I believe that honesty is the best policy. If a company as large as Hikvision wants to retain its customers then it should do all it can to provide information on possible security threats and also provide fixes to these issues in a timely manner.
What should the counter be set to (10....20...50...100...1000)? @Undisclosed Integrator #7
I am always puzzled by the fact that these articles promote sensationalism and conflict related to the current most popular camera manufacturer.
i remember the days when IPVideo Marketplace was an educational forum for discussions regarding how to solve problems in the industry. Now the posts and responses are on par with National Enquirer.
Maybe we should discuss how to not make these devices vulnerable to security threats in the first place. If IPVM and others who respond would discuss how to create a secure network for these systems, we would not have to cry in the model of "Trumpism". (I am a longtime member and contributor to this service). Why not help the integrators and customers create secure systems that are not vulnerable?
I can only see these threats existing when the devices are given a public address or by designation of them or DVR/NVR/Servers as DMZ via port forwarding. Who does this? For those that do, why not respond with advice with technical know-how on the proper way to secure the networks and devices.
Stop the witch hunts against Dahua, Hikvision, etc. You have bred a new generation of IPVM members who are posting non-constructive critisizm, without providing needed education, which was the original intent of this service.
I used to read the content of this site daily, and the responses in the discussion section were highly valuable. Now. I find myself visiting maybe once a week, and I wince at the negative and non productive content that is occurring.
This is an exciting field for those that are new and old to the technology. In the last decade we have seen, since h.264 megapixel in 2008, a product that has become highly valuable to our clients. Lets change course back to the original intent of IPVM, and do away with the nonsense and constant attacks on manufacturers that make this, and our careers, possible. You have scared away many from making valuable input to this site.
Identifying "undisclosed" contibutors by IPVM staff in posts is also a new low.
I can only see these threats existing when the devices are given a public address or by designation of them or DVR/NVR/Servers as DMZ via port forwarding. Who does this? For those that do, why not respond with advice with technical know-how on the proper way to secure the networks and devices.
Jeffery, Hikvision and Dahua both tell customers to use port forwarding. You can certainly say it is unprofessional but it is being driven by those manufacturers.
1 - Hikvision Hardening Guide Recommends Port Forwarding,
2 - Dahua How-to remote access through port forwarding
What do you have to say about that? Is that a National Enquirer smear or is that a genuine issue that Dahua and Hikvision need to address?
As for:
Identifying "undisclosed" contibutors by IPVM staff in posts is also a new low.
What undisclosed poster did IPVM staff identify?
Why not help the integrators and customers create secure systems that are not vulnerable?
I think that is the point of all of these posts. Bring attention to these security issues so manufacturers have to focus on making security hardware more secure.
I do agree with Jeffrey about helping integrators.
To that end, it is worth noting we have a VPNs for Video Surveillance Guide and we teach that in each of our IP networking classes to help integrators better understand the importance and steps to using VPNs.
A suggestion would be to use the P2P option with the qr code and an app such as easy4ip. I have heard that the refresh rate is slower than accessing your NVR via port forwarding but this solution I believe is far safer.
http://www1.dahuasecurity.com/products_category/easy4ip-587.html
I would appreciate your thoughts and experience on using this option.
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