Iran has begun collecting data from private surveillance cameras to strike targets in Israel. A former Israeli cybersecurity official has told the Israelis to turn off their cameras, RBC reports.
Iran has begun tapping into private surveillance cameras to gather real-time information about its adversary, Bloomberg reports.
"We know that in the last two or three days, the Iranians have been trying to connect to the cameras to understand what happened and where their missiles hit, in order to improve the accuracy of their strikes," said Rafael Franco, former deputy director general of Israel's National Cyber Directorate.
As the agency writes, the market for video surveillance cameras is growing, but many cameras are vulnerable to hacking due to weak passwords, lack of firmware updates and poor installation.
Most consumers prioritize price over security in a CCTV system, said Peleg Wasserman, a security specialist at a global energy company. “Consumers need to remember that they are not the only ones who can have access to that camera,” he added, noting that the cameras can also capture panoramic views of the city, which could be useful for targeting Israel.
This week, after Iranian ballistic missiles struck near high-rise buildings in Tel Aviv, a former Israeli cybersecurity official went on public radio warning Israelis to turn off their security cameras or change their passwords, Bloomberg reports.
On the morning of June 20, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported another missile launch on the country's territory by Iran on a Telegram channel. "A few minutes ago, the IDF detected the launch of missiles from Iranian territory towards the State of Israel. Missile defense systems have been activated to intercept the threat," the message said. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps confirmed a new missile attack on a Telegram channel. The Nevatim airbase was named as a possible target.