Chinese Government Hikvision Surveillance System On US Government Network

Hikvision, the Chinese government-owned manufacturer, has publicly claimed that their products are running on a US government network. Moreover, Hikvsion claims their encoders, recorders and VMS software are on that network.

This was not addressed in the recent WSJ report on Hikvision cameras being 'ripped out' of a US military base. We are raising this issue to draw attention from the US military and US government as Hikvision has been unwilling to address.

Hikvision publicly announced the Fort Wood US Army Base project in 2014, claiming recorders, encoders and VMS software, 'boasting':

with Hikvision USA President, Jeffrey He [link no longer available], endorsing it:

The claim of receiving 'highest mark of security' is disconcerting considering (1) those IP cameras were later found to have a backdoor, (2) the security code for the recorders were cracked and (3) Hikvision was emailing admin passwords for that VMS system in plain text. This was troubling for any manufacturer, and especially one whose controlling shareholder is the Chinese government and whose Chairman is a Communist Party Secretary.

While Hikvision and their supporters have tried to minimize their security concerns by saying the devices were on a closed network, Hikvision's announcement touts them being on the US government's network:

The WSJ article has, unfortunately, not addressed these important concerns. Where are the Hikvision VMS software, recorders and encoders? Are they still running on the US government's network?

Instead of cooperating, Hikvision has chosen to attack the WSJ and US government officials who have raised such concerns, turning to their fellow Chinese government entity, the People's Daily, to 'strike back'.

If you know of any US government officials who can help here, please pass this along. We would be happy to provide more information and support, contact us at security@ipvm.com