Israel Tells Residents to Switch Off Home Cameras as Iranian Hackers Eye Live Feeds
Israel’s National Cyber Directorate (INCD) is urging households to switch off or lock down their internet-connected security cameras after detecting a surge in attempts by Iranian threat actors to tap the devices for battlefield intelligence.
“They’re looking for the impact sites”
Refael Franco, a former INCD deputy chief who now heads incident-response firm Code Blue, said Iranian operators spent the past 72 hours “trying to connect to cameras to understand what happened and where their missiles hit to improve their precision.”
The INCD confirmed the uptick, noting that camera-hacking has accompanied every flare-up of the Israel-Iran conflict but has “renewed now” as Tehran refines its targeting.
Why consumer cameras are a soft target
Many off-the-shelf CCTV units ship with default or easily guessed passwords, and some automatically stream footage to the open internet. That makes them “a stepping stone into overtaking the broader network,” cybersecurity architect Peleg Wasserman warned.
A lesson unlearned since Oct 7
Iran is not the first adversary to exploit Israel’s private cameras. Hamas used hacked feeds from kibbutzim on the Gaza border to map patrol routes ahead of its 2023 attack, former INCD director Gaby Portnoy revealed.
The agency had already flagged 66 000 Israeli cameras running default passwords back in 2022—a warning that “largely went unheeded,” Portnoy added. In response to the latest threat, the government now has legal authority to remotely disable traffic and private cameras in sensitive areas if they appear compromised.
A tactic seen from Kyiv to the Gulf
Israel’s predicament mirrors Ukraine’s 2022 decision to ban public webcams after discovering Russia used them to adjust missile strikes in real time. Geoff Kohl of the U.S. Security Industry Association says consumers everywhere should assume “your security video systems could be targeted” and invest in devices that support two-factor authentication and regular firmware updates.
The broader cyber front
The camera raids come amid a wider digital confrontation that has already included bank hacks, crypto heists, and retaliatory DDoS waves on both sides of the Israel-Iran conflict. U.S. officials warn that poorly secured IoT devices worldwide could become collateral targets as cyber operations escalate.
What Israelis can do today
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Power down or unplug indoor and outdoor IP cameras where feasible.
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Change default credentials and turn on two-factor authentication for essential devices.
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Install firmware updates and disable unnecessary cloud-streaming options.
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Report suspicious camera activity to the INCD’s 119 hotline.
“Trying to protect yourself must not become a way of exposing yourself,” Franco said, underscoring how ordinary gadgets can become weapons when wars turn digital.
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