Hikvision Removed From US Army Base, Congressional Hearing Called
By IPVM Team, Published Jan 12, 2018, 09:15am ESTHikvision has been removed from a US Army Base and a US congressional committee is planning a hearing on cybersecurity risks and specifically, Hikvision, reports the WSJ in a follow up to their (WSJ) Investigation Into Hikvision.
This is a major trend within the industry, with a growing list of organizations removing or barring Hikvision products, including:
- Hikvision Removed From US Embassy
- Hikvision Removed From US GSA Sales
- US Air Force Cancels Hikvision RFQ
- Hikvision Barred From US City Housing Authority Bid
- Fortune 500 Company Bars Dahua and Hikvision
Two main causes of these concerns exist. First, the Chinese government's controlling share of Hikvision, something Hikvision denies in the West but which they readily admit inside of China, Hikvision CEO Admits Hikvision China State-Owned Company.
Secondly, Hikvision's cybersecurity problems, most notably Hikvision's IP camera backdoor shipped in tens of millions of cameras but also including:
- 80+ OEMs Verified Vulnerable To Hikvision Backdoor
- Hikvision Security Code Cracked
- Hikvision Vulnerability Permits Wi-Fi Attack (hard-coded Wifi connection set)
- Hikvision Cloud Security Vulnerability Uncovered
- Hikvision VMS Password Recovery Vulnerability (Admin Passwords Sent In Plain Text)
- Hikvision Trojan Mobile App
- Hikvision Hardening Guide Recommends Port Forwarding
- Hikvision UPnP Hacking Risk
As the WSJ reported:
Rep. Steve Chabot, an Ohio Republican and chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, said he expects the committee to focus closely on potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities in security cameras. A spokeswoman for the committee said Hikvision will be examined as part of a hearing scheduled for Jan. 30 on the topic of “foreign cybersecurity threats to small businesses.” The hearing will discuss the security-camera industry generally, but Hikvision will be the only company about which specific questions will be raised, she said. [Emphasis Added]
The challenge for Hikvision is simply what to do now. A company created by the Chinese government and controlled by the Chinese government has vast advantages inside of China and with $6 billion in Chinese government loans, vast resources to spend on International expansion. But money is unlikely to be enough to win over an increasingly aware and skeptical International market. Hikvision's price cuts and sales campaigns continue and that certainly will help with some buyers but if Congressional hearings and more large users remove or ban their products, Hikvision faces difficult decisions about its International future.
Update: Hikvision Fires Back
Hikvision is striking back at the WSJ, labeling the story 'filled with bias and conjecture', and 'misleading to readers and use deceitful headlines'. Fascinatingly, Hikvision claims that the US Army base cameras were removed 'following unfounded and unsubstantiated media reports' but DHS ICS-CERT report gave Hikvision a worse 10.0 score for their IP camera backdoor, clearly a critical factor in worldwide concern about Hikvision products. Interestingly, Hikvision did not comment about the upcoming US Congressional hearings or what they plan to do about them.
8 reports cite this report:
Comments (66)

Refreshing to see that the government is only 16 or so months behind on this issue instead of the normal three or four years.....
I have often theorized the perfect land invasion plan would be to sell IoT devices below cost that would enable your troops to see in real time the status of your enemies assets...
Living through the era in the 80's when there was a common theme of Japan taking over, I have since perceived Eastern countries and company's of having longer term plans then America, so I have always been leery of these low cost electronics from Asia...
Will we end up paying the true cost of these devices with our Liberty and "freedoms" in the end?
This will do nothing if it doesn't follow through to also include all of the OEM's that have also sold Hik products into the government sector. You can't exclude Hikvision but then allow all of their OEM's with the same cameras to remain.
Army Rips Out Chinese-Made Surveillance Cameras...
after American Manufacturer offers Dump Hikvision, Arecont Will Pay You ;)
Very interesting article. I am surprised they installed Hik Vision in the first place.. Pretty embarrassing to have a Chinese government owned secuirty camera company devices at a US Army base. Hik Vision is starting to fall apart!
01/12/18 04:28pm
I'm totally waiting on an entertaining and salty response from Hikvision and family.
This article said they removed 5 cameras that were looking at parking lots and a roadway. Also states that they have over 180 cameras deployed on the base on a CLOSED network. Looks more like media grandstanding to me.
From from this article:
The company has also said that it does not have access to cameras that have been sold to customers
Unfortunately, everyone else in the world does.
Now wait and see. The Chinese Government will establish a shell corporation unrelated to the government...on paper and start all over. It will take our government another 5 years to figure that out. Im sure IPVM will uncover this idea much quicker.
The story has now made Gizmodo: Army Base Ditches Chinese-Made Surveillance Cameras Just So No One Gets the Wrong Idea. Gizmodo is a large mainstream site so it will bring more attention to it.
These cameras are also not allowed on the GSA Advantage government purchasing website and should not have been sold to any Federal entity to start with. We receive calls occasionally from military personnel requesting such cameras (sometimes at less consequential buildings such as an on-base Army fitness center) who simply have no idea what they are buying and are simply seeking to meet a budget.
When we informed the last military person requesting this product of the truth, and asked how he was purchasing them previously, he said he was purchasing them online with his credit card.
Zero oversight, very little instruction, low level facility management transaction, little care for reality.
The US House Committee on Small Business has shared the WSJ article and their upcoming hearing on Twitter:
Update: Hikvision has posted an Update on January 12 2018 WSJ Article, firing back at the WSJ:
Recent media reports about Hikvision and our products have inaccurately characterized our company, our products and our services. These opinions are filled with bias and conjecture. Some of these reports are misleading to readers and use deceitful headlines to attract attention. [Emphasis addded]
In fairness, Hikvision knows deceit. They call their magic string backdoor a 'privilege escalating vulnerability'. They call their controlling shareholder just a part of their "diverse set of private and public shareholders", etc.
So far, they have posted the update on Twitter and now on LinkedIn.
Securitas Director using the WSJ coverage to solicit business:
Fox's Lou Dobb's has picked up the WSJ / Hikvision story calling for procurement people to be fired:
Moronic: DOD needs to "rip out" procurement personnel who bought CHINESE equipment--Army rips out Chinese-made surveillance cameras overlooking U.S. base https://t.co/6kHcAmey5Z via @WSJ
— Lou Dobbs (@LouDobbs) January 13, 2018
I'm a big fan of Hik products. Their prices are aggressive, their products are attractive, and the performance (depending on the model) is very good.
Having said that, they REALLY need to get their sh*t together on this already. The more they deny government ownership the worse it gets for them. They need a remedy to that ASAP. It's like they're victims of their own blinders, the censors within China duping Hikvision into thinking no one outside their inner circle knows the facts.
Hik's cybersecurity concerns are also another valid point and far more effort needs to be devoted to it, not just with Hik but any technology manufacturer that makes addressable electronic devices.
Did anyone else have a Nelly's banner when they visited the WSJ article? Aren't they a Hik OEM?
Considering what the military requires and spends to protect SIPRNET and NIPRNET, their indifference to placing a camera, mic, and network appliance anywhere in a military facility has me completely baffled.
It's not only our industry:
US Threatens Telcos to Avoid Huawei or Lose Government Contracts: