Govt issues advisory on CCTV security, asks ministries to avoid brands with data leaks

The government has issued an advisory on the threat of information leakage through CCTV (Closed-Circuit Television) cameras and advised various ministries and departments to avoid procuring equipment from brands that have a history of security breaches and data leakages.

In an internal advisory issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in March, government ministries and departments were advised to adhere to guidelines of public procurement to safeguard the overall security and integrity of CCTV cameras and IoT (Internet of Things) devices.

This move comes after the government noticed various cybersecurity incidents due to security flaws in the surveillance cameras.

“While these surveillance technologies undoubtedly offer a range of benefits and are valuable tools for monitoring and security, they also raise certain concerns and risks. Some of the growing risks associated with CCTV systems include data security, privacy breach, hacking, and cyberattack etc,” the government said in the advisory issued on March 11.

Various ministries and departments raised concerns about the security implications linked with the deployment of CCTV cameras and hardware testing of such devices.

In addition, MeitY asked ministries to follow procurement guidelines, particularly the public procurement order (Make in India), 2017 and the electronics and information technology goods (requirement of compulsory registration) order, 2021.