Iran Hacking Israeli Home Cams: Real-Time Monitoring of Citizens & Missile Strikes Revealed

Iranian hackers are breaching home surveillance cameras to monitor the movements of Israeli citizens in real time, according to Rafael Franco, former Deputy Director of Israel’s National Cyber Directorate. He stated that in recent days, Iranian operatives have attempted to access these cameras to assess the impact of their missile strikes and refine the precision of future attacks.

This intelligence has been corroborated by a current official within Israel’s cybersecurity agency, who noted that internet-connected cameras have become a primary target for Iranian intelligence efforts. As reported by Bloomberg, many consumers prioritize affordability over robust security, rendering these devices an easy target for malicious actors.

Following the Hamas assault in October, Israeli authorities urged citizens to enable two-factor authentication and enhance security protocols. Surveillance cameras installed near border zones and in agricultural areas were found to have inadvertently revealed the positions of Israeli troops—information that may have fallen into hostile hands.

Surveillance technology has long been a fixture in conflict zones. Throughout various military confrontations, cameras have been deployed to monitor military installations and transportation networks. Similar incidents have occurred in Israel, where Hamas has previously hacked into camera systems immediately prior to launching attacks.

As home surveillance systems become increasingly widespread, so too do the associated security risks. Low-cost models often ship with default passwords such as “1234,” which are trivially easy to crack. Many cameras even stream footage openly on the internet, requiring nothing more than a known IP address and a browser to access. Search engines designed to index IoT devices can effortlessly locate such vulnerable systems and expose them to the public.

Experts warn that devices intended to ensure safety are, with alarming frequency, being transformed into instruments of espionage—employed by both criminals and military forces alike.