Dahua USA launches latest cybersecurity initiatives

DALLAS—Dahua Technology USA, a manufacturer of video surveillance solutions, announced at ASIS 2017 here last week a comprehensive set of cybersecurity initiatives that have been underway for most of 2017. In the recent light of the physical security industry's continued challenge to safeguard against attempted hacks to their surveillance and security systems, Dahua has further fortified its support and resources to help industry professionals overcome cybersecurity issues.

“We are taking this very seriously,” Janet Fenner, head of marketing for Dahua North America, told Security Systems News during a booth visit at ASIS. “Every new Dahua product has a strict set of cybersecurity guidelines that we have developed to provide complete lockdown for that product.”

Fenner pointed to the importance and need for industry professionals to employ cybersecurity best practices, especially with the previous vulnerability issues Dahua faced back in March.

“Dahua issued a firmware patch that fixed this specific problem in March 2017 and alerted customers to install new firmware patches,” she said in a prepared statement. “Cybersecurity is an on-going and increasingly concerning issue that requires a proactive approach. Our latest cybersecurity initiatives and best-practices recommendations demonstrate our ongoing attention to this issue.”

She pointed out that the vulnerability issue faced by Dahua and other leading surveillance manufacturers continues to persist as hackers deploy automated scripts to uncover old firmware that uses default passwords. Once the hacker's locate this firmware they can easily access devices in the host's network, such as dimming cameras' brightness, which leads customers to believe that their cameras are not operating properly, according to the company.

Moving forward Dahua will be implementing new cybersecurity initiatives incorporated into its products on a global basis. According to the press release, “This significant and broad-based investment will further bolster the resistance of networked surveillance devices from cyber-attacks, and support global efforts to strengthen cybersecurity procedures and strategies in the face of increasing frequency and intensity of network penetrations.”

The cybersecurity initiative from Dahua includes a wide range of activities designed to improve the security of video surveillance products themselves, as well as to improve the security of broader processes, including installation, deployment, and ongoing management. For current and recent products, many benefits of these initiatives are available in the form of firmware and/or software updates, which will be distributed using software update processes to ensure the enhancements are implemented smoothly. The updated cybersecurity features were designed and validated in partnership with independent experts including DBAPP Security and Synopsys Technology to ensure the highest security and quality.

“Cybercriminals have evolved into a major source of disruption for individuals, businesses and governments world-wide,” said Fenner. “By investing in the development of improved cybersecurity initiatives and new systems, products with higher resistance to cyber-attacks, Dahua's efforts will help to better protect their customers against cyber attacks and help further harden protection for the entire global networked community.”