South Africa: Chinese Video Surveillance Equipment Subject to Cyber Attacks

South Africa's Daily Maverick published a two part series on cyber security weaknesses in Chinese video surveillance equipment being widely used in South Africa. Part One appeared on 13 June 2019 titled "Visual Surveillance and Weak Cyber Security, Part One: When Cameras Get Dangerous" by investigative reporter Heidi Swart.

China's Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology leads the global video surveillance industry. The government of China is a controlling shareholder. Hikvision established a South African branch in 2015 in partnership with South Africa's Vumacam, which uses Hikvision internet protocol (IP) cameras. The cameras are intended to curb crime but researchers have discovered several cyber-security vulnerabilities in Hikvision's products that a hacker can use to get into computers, smartphones, IP cameras, etc. These vulnerabilities can allow a hacker to control remotely a device, infect it with malware, or access data.

Daily Maverick published on 26 June 2019 a followup report titled "Video Surveillance and Cybersecurity (Part Two): Chinese Cyber Espionage Is a Real Threat" by Heidi Swart.

Part Two raises the potential for espionage by using equipment provided by Hikvision, Huawei, and ZTE drawing heavily on concerns expressed in the United States. Unlike the United States, however, South Africa's State Security Agency has enjoyed a close relationship with China's security agencies.