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Swiss military security cameras vulnerable to hackers

Surveillance cameras
Designed to protect military sites, cameras could be providing a weak spot for hackers to exploit. © Keystone / Christian Beutler

Outdated surveillance cameras that monitor military sites in Switzerland are vulnerable to hacks and could infringe data protection laws, according to a report.

The Swiss defence ministry, which undertook the survey, has ordered an overhaul of camera surveillance systems to address the weaknesses.

Cameras are meant to protect military installations, such as weapons depots and logistics centres. But many could instead present a weak spot for hackers to exploit.

“Surveillance equipment is not regularly checked at all locations for publicly known weaknesses and updated using software updates,” states a defence ministry report.

Swiss public broadcaster SRF revealed the findings of the report, which also points to inadequate data protection processes.  

“Generalised regulations for video surveillance are not sufficient from a data protection and information protection point of view,” says the report.

The audit of digital surveillance was also hampered by inadequate or incomplete documentation being available for scrutiny.

The report recommends a number of improvements, including minimum standards of IT security and establishing data protection responsibilities at each site.

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