Ahmedabad: Nearly 10 months after the Rajkot CCTV privacy breach, where hundreds of private clips from a gynaecology hospital went viral, Gujarat remains highly exposed to cyber threats. A recent report by a US-based cybersecurity expert reveals that 777 IP-based cameras in Gujarat are vulnerable to hacking, highlighting a widespread issue across India.
Widespread Vulnerability in Gujarat
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Total Vulnerable Cameras in Gujarat: 777
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City-wise Breakdown:
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Ahmedabad – 399 cameras
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Surat – 166 cameras
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Vadodara – 87 cameras
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Rajkot – 33 cameras
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Bhavnagar – 24 cameras
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Gandhinagar – 20 cameras
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These cameras, including baby monitors, home CCTVs, and small-business setups, have weak security, allowing hackers to steal private footage. In February this year, hackers reportedly accessed 50,000 private video clips from just 80 IP camera dashboards and distributed them via Telegram groups and adult websites.
National Cybersecurity Concern
Cybersecurity researcher Paul Marrapese, an Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) from San Jose, California, warns that Gujarat is just a part of a larger problem. His research revealed that 21,444 IP-based cameras across India are exposed online and can be easily hacked.
Major cities affected include:
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Delhi – 2,914 compromised cameras
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Mumbai – 1,842 cameras
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Bengaluru – 1,205 cameras
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Hyderabad – 1,100 cameras
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Pune – 899 cameras
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Chennai – 823 cameras
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Kolkata – 683 cameras
Marrapese emphasizes that low-cost convenience features in these cameras and poor digital hygiene, such as factory default passwords like “admin123”, leave users highly vulnerable to automated cyber attacks.
How Hackers Exploit Vulnerable Devices
Hackers exploit predictable Unique IDs (UIDs) like “FFFF-123456-ABCDE” to locate and access devices. Once breached, hundreds or thousands of clips can be downloaded and resold. Hospital wards, homes, baby monitors, and cinema theatres are all at risk due to these weak security measures.
A senior Gujarat CID official states:
“A handful of compromised dashboards can produce tens of thousands of clips for resale. Many devices like nanny cams and baby monitors, though convenient, are highly vulnerable if default passwords and security steps are ignored.”
Call for Stronger Cybersecurity Measures
Experts urge improved digital security, including changing default passwords, regular software updates, and device monitoring, to prevent large-scale breaches. The Rajkot incident highlights the urgent need for awareness and proactive cybersecurity measures in Indian cities.
