Noob intro questions to home cam security/privacy

[nonlocal_mediaplay]

Hi everyone,

So I returned from abroad and found that a family member had installed ezviz cameras around the house. I'm a very privacy conscious person but with not much technical knowledge. My family aren't privacy conscious but are open for my opinions and advice.

I was wondering about the security, but more so, the privacy of this setup and what I can advise them to improve and change. I tried to do some research to 1) assess the situation and 2) see how and what can be improved.

I tried to read their privacy policy but I feel I also need some experience to be able to actually excavate what's problematic and loose and what's genuine.
I also did some searching on the web and found that bitdefender found several serious vulnerabilities but from what I understood from their blog post, it seems the response and patching was good and they were satisfied with it.

If I can then move on from Security to Privacy. I've seen most recommend offline usage (sacrificing important features for my family like streaming on phone and other stuff) (found this valuable post) OR a workaround is to run the cameras but NOT through the ezviz cloud but in some sort of closed wifi for my hom (maybe something to do with lan, vlan, vpns, dns, etc. I don't know).

I'd love to get your advice from your experience.

Much appreciated.

 

[wittaj]

Most of us here have offline systems that do not need an internet connection to work and are not cloud based systems, but we can still stream to phone by hosting a VPN like OpenVPN or using something like Wireguard. You do not use a paid VPN for this. That is to hide illegal streaming and porno addictions.

If you are security conscious then you do not want any wifi cameras nor any system that requires an internet connection to work.

Most here isolate their system from the internet, but that doesn't mean losing access to the video stream.

 

[nonlocal_mediaplay]

Most of us here have offline systems that do not need an internet connection to work and are not cloud based systems, but we can still stream to phone by hosting a VPN like OpenVPN or using something like Wireguard. You do not use a paid VPN for this. That is to hide illegal streaming and porno addictions.

If you are security conscious then you do not want any wifi cameras nor any system that requires an internet connection to work.

Most here isolate their system from the internet, but that doesn't mean losing access to the video stream.

I'm asking whether is that possible to do with ezviz cameras that I have (Camera model: CB5 4k)

 

[wittaj]

Well from that post you linked, their summary was NO it will not work without in internet connection, but you could use the SD cards to record video. But watching it would be problematic.

And then with them being wifi cams they can be easily jammed and render them useless for surveillance.

 

[nonlocal_mediaplay]

Well from that post you linked, their summary was NO it will not work without in internet connection, but you could use the SD cards to record video. But watching it would be problematic.

And then with them being wifi cams they can be easily jammed and render them useless for surveillance.

View attachment 226867

I think you need to read the entire thing. Not just the quick summary cause it's unclear and contradictory. I hope it's not AI written.

But they're saying some models can be used others no. Author doesn't specify which and which.

And sd card can be read with app.

I hope to hear from other experts here too.

Thank you for your responses.

 

[wittaj]

I did read it and yes it is unclear and contradictory, likely on purpose.

Most here do not use that brand as it is considered a cloud-based consumer cam and many here stay away from those types of systems.

Maybe someone will chime in with their experiences before they migrated to a more secure system.

But you have the cams, so give it a try. Will they work without an internet connection? Does the app work without an internet connection?

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

And sd card can be read with app.

... which means the camera device needs network connectivity for the app to work. Be sure to confirm the app is not "phoning home" any information from the cams.

Even if you vet the companies privacy agreement and find it gives you enough of a warm fuzzy feeling. Odds are it will be revised/updated at some point in the future; which you may, or may not, be alerted to. Then it is back to combing through the legalese to determine what you new stance on it will be.

 

[wittaj]

... which means the camera device needs network connectivity for the app to work. Be sure to confirm the app is not "phoning home" any information from the cams.

Even if you vet the companies privacy agreement and find it gives you enough of a warm fuzzy feeling. Odds are it will be revised/updated at some point in the future; which you may, or may not, be alerted to. Then it is back to combing through the legalese to determine what you new stance on it will be.

Right, and from that article "In offline mode, the camera will not connect to Wi-Fi or the internet. This configuration allows you to use the camera’s basic functions such as recording video footage and capturing images without the need for an online connection. Keep in mind that you won’t be able to access live feeds or receive real-time alerts while in offline mode."

So in order to see live feeds or receive real time alerts, the app will need internet connection.

For many of us that is a deal killer.

 

[johnfitz]

unclear and contradictory. I hope it's not AI written.

But they're saying some models can be used others no

I have a couple of EZ-Viz cameras... It's a good writeup and doesn't seem like AI to me... Some Ez-Viz models (not yours) have a LAN or PoE port in addition to the Wi-Fi connection... those would be better suited if you don't trust the EZ-Viz app... with a LAN connection the cameras could be viewed using RTSP...

I do use the EZ-Viz app with my cameras and have an encryption password on each, but I do not fully trust that the cameras are not viewable by others so they are not located anywhere I would mind someone snooping (garage door, utilities in basement and attic) ...

I'm aware that there are other security concerns having the cameras connected to the Internet and using the Ez-Viz P2P app... the cameras could potentially be used in DOS attacks:



Bottom line is these relatively cheap consumers cameras are meant to be used with the P2P app... In your scenario, the only alternative to using the app is to use an SD card in the camera and remove it to review footage on a computer each time you want to see anything... not really practical ... or keep the firmware updated and trust EZ-Viz!