China receives information from surveillance cameras in Ukraine
Beijing can take possession of records from Ukrainian cities, frontline regions and strategic enterprises, the article says.
Thousands of surveillance cameras in Ukraine transmit information to servers controlled by a Chinese manufacturer. This conclusion was reached by journalists of the Schemes project.
We are talking about cameras from the Chinese companies Hikvision and Dahua, which are actively used throughout the country. The journalists conducted an experiment and, together with experts, found that older models are more vulnerable to hacker attacks. It took about 15 minutes to hack the 2015 device.
It is noted that both Hikvision and Dahua, which produce these cameras, are partially owned by Chinese state-owned companies. They may be connected to the Communist Party.
It is noteworthy that the Chinese authorities have obliged companies to provide the country with all the information they consider necessary for counterintelligence activities. Thus, Beijing can get hold of records from Ukrainian cities, frontline regions and strategic enterprises, the article says.
It is worth noting that in 2022, the United States recognized both Dahua and Hikvision, as well as their state-owned co-owners China Mobile and CETC, as Chinese military companies.
In addition, both Dahua and Hikvision continue to operate in Russia. In 2022 alone, the former paid more than 70 million rubles in taxes. In 2023, the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) added both companies to the list of international sponsors of war.
Given the close cooperation between China and Russia, there is a risk that information from these devices will be transmitted directly to Moscow. Law enforcement agencies told Skhemy that it was a 2016 Hikvision camera that was hacked by Russians during the January 2 attack on Kyiv.
How Russia spies on Ukraine through cameras
On January 2, 2024, during a massive strike on Ukraine, Russia could see the work of air defense in Kyiv through surveillance cameras. This data was used to adjust the strikes, the Security Service of Ukraine said.
We are talking about two robotic online surveillance cameras that were hacked by the Russian special services. One of them was installed on the balcony of an apartment building and was used to monitor the surrounding area. It is noteworthy that by hacking the cameras, the Russians could change the viewing angle.
