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CyberCX says Australians should beware of “demonstrably unsafe” Chinese IoT devices, such as those made by Dahua.
Researchers at Australian cyber security firm CyberCX have issued a warning regarding poorly secured, Chinese-made IoT devices in the wake of hackers compromising an internet-connected doorbell and camera.
CyberCX’s Digital Forensics and Incident Response recently investigated an incident involving a Dahua IoT doorbell, after a hacker had been able to effectively take over the device and maintain active surveillance of the owner’s property. The device had been connected to a larger botnet, which could have, in turn, compromised other devices on the owner’s network.
The intrusion was only detected when a member of the household connected their work laptop to the home Wi-Fi, which triggered an alert within their employer’s cyber security team.
The doorbell in question was made by Chinese company Dahua and is widely available in Australia.
“Chinese internet-connected devices are manufactured and sold at the lowest possible cost and with negligible security measures, leaving many wide open for exploitation by criminals. We are effectively sleepwalking into a world where demonstrably unsafe Chinese products are flooding the Australian market,” CyberCX’s chief strategy officer, Alastair MacGibbon, said in a statement.
“Internet-connected devices are not secure when they come out of the box, and while these risks can apply to all connected devices in the home, they are particularly pronounced for Chinese-made tech, which requires a constant, ongoing connection to Chinese manufacturers to operate, leaving them at the whim of Chinese government security agency direction and surveillance. While these cheap, imported devices are attractive to cost-conscious consumers battling the rising costs of living, consumers need to understand they are effectively bringing foreign surveillance tools into their homes.
“While it’s encouraging to see that the government has introduced new security requirements for internet-connected smart devices as part of last year’s cyber security reforms, it remains to be seen how these reforms will protect Australian households from the influx of cheap connected devices available on Chinese e-commerce platforms like Temu and Shein.”
Cyber Daily has contacted Dahua Technology Australia for comment.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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