Axis Camera Vulnerabilities Put Over 6,500 Servers at Risk of Security Breaches
Claroty’s research team has identified four significant vulnerabilities in Axis Communications’ video surveillance systems, which pose security risks to thousands of organisations globally. Axis IP cameras are widely used across various sectors, including government agencies, educational institutions, and large private companies. According to Claroty, over 6,500 Axis servers, often responsible for managing extensive camera networks, are currently exposed to the internet and therefore at risk. The vulnerabilities involve Axis’ proprietary Axis.Remoting communication protocol, allowing attackers to develop an exploit chain that targets both servers and clients in Axis deployments. This exploit chain could enable attackers to hijack, view, or disable live camera feeds, with the potential for pre-authentication remote code execution, meaning that attackers might not need to interact with users to gain control of the camera systems.
The affected systems include Axis Device Manager (ADM), which is used to configure and manage numerous cameras, and Axis Camera Station (ACS), the software that centralises the viewing of camera feeds. Successful exploits grant attackers system-level access on the internal network, allowing them to control each camera within a specific deployment. Claroty privately disclosed these vulnerabilities to Axis, which has since released patches for the affected software versions: Axis Camera Station Pro 6.9, Axis Camera Station 5.58, and Axis Device Manager 5.32. Analysis of internet-exposed services using scanning platforms such as Censys and Shodan revealed that the majority of the exposed Axis servers are located in the United States. Each exposed server may control hundreds or thousands of individual cameras, highlighting the critical need for organisations to protect their video surveillance platforms, especially given current restrictions on certain technology vendors.
Categories: Vulnerabilities in Video Surveillance Systems, Exploit Chains and Remote Code Execution, Internet Exposure and Security Risks
Tags: Vulnerabilities, Axis Communications, Video Surveillance, Exploit Chain, Remote Code Execution, Axis Device Manager, Axis Camera Station, Security Risks, Internet Exposure, Camera Feeds