Some noob questions regarding LAN security, after installing

Hi all,

First post here, so let me start off by saying hi...

OK, finally decided to get around to installing some security cams around my house.

The other day I was in Costco, and I just so happened to see some Samsung Smart Cams... So I thought why not... Ended up buying two... Put them in my garage, and setup them up via CAT6. Left them with the preinstalled 16GB MicroSD cards & downloaded the app and they message whenever there's movement inside the garage.

I've sprayed them black and hid them, so you'll only notice them if you're looking for them. I love cycling & riding motorbikes and have a few bikes in my garage. So wanted to protect my toys.

Truth of the matter is, i live in a gated community, which is basically crime free. but you never know the opportunist is always out there, and being that its a gated community, many people leave their garage doors open. In the last 5yrs, i think we've only had one instance of theft and that was because people had left their cars on the drive unlocked, with their wallets still in the car... Anyway, long story short, its unlikely i'll ever be burgled. But if i am, i'd like to know who did it !!!!

I basically left the Samsung software to configure the security, which allows me to view my camera's thru my iOS devices and thru any webbrowser.

I'm curious as to how that works in terms of security? How easy would it be for a hacker to gain access thru these cameras and into my home network.... More concerned about that than anything. What ports does it open up on my router? Did it even open up any ports on my router? If so how?

Just want to learn a little more about how i can from any webbrowser or iOS device, login using my username and password and be on my home network. That to me, seems a security vulnerability.

I'm also about to buy a couple of HIKVISION ds-2cd2132f's and will be installing them using POE and giving them static IP addresses. The samsung are more or less plug and play and you're not really given any real networking configurations, whereas the HIKVISIONS seem to be a little more for the technical user and within their software you can configure ports and what not..... I could lose the Samsungs and have all the camera's HIKVISION, if that would make things safer.

Looking for tips really on how to secure my home network from hackers. Don't want the camera's used against me, but more importantly, don't want a hacker to access all my files on one of the many computers that i have online at any given time.

Thanks in advance.

It may not be easy to stop a dedicated, determined hacker who has you as a specific target but would your basic network attract such skilled attackers in the first place?

Seriously strong passwords (even if it means having to refer to them from a business card written on and stored in your wallet or other) are useful deterrents. Apply these to the router, DVR, NVR ....whatever has that capability in the network.

The Samsung smart cams configured themselves?

Cheers!

chisel.

Hi

Best thing to do is to have a strong username and password on all your devices, are you connecting to your cams remotely? meaning when your away from the house? and how? Via dyndns,p2p or puplic ip,? the Samsung smart cams must have a UPNP (Universal Plug and Play) function on them that configures your router for you, if you don't want a device to do that you can disable your UPNP setting in your router and just do the configuration manually

hope this helps

Regards

Hi

 

Best thing to do is to have a strong username and password on all your devices, are you connecting to your cams remotely? meaning when your away from the house? and how? Via dyndns,p2p or puplic ip,? the Samsung smart cams must have a UPNP (Universal Plug and Play) function on them that configures your router for you, if you don't want a device to do that you can disable your UPNP setting in your router and just do the configuration manually

 

hope this helps

 

Regards

I did have uPnP switched on, on my router.. I've since turned it off, and I'm still able to access my camera's remotely, via the samsung app and https://www.samsungsmartcam.com/web/ website.

I have no port forwarding setup or configured and pretty much everything switched off (firewall set to medium), on the inbuilt security for my Arris Comcast TG862G-CT.

So thinking there's some proprietary stuff going on that's special to Samsung. Not knocking it, it works great... Just obviously concerned, that its left some open holes and backdoors to my home network.

My local machines are well protected. But even so, i'd rather not give any hackers a welcoming hand to come along in.