How to Keep Your Webcam Safe From Prying Eyes

Home security cameras are increasingly popular, and hackers are constantly trying to get in—sometimes, as a Wall Street Journal visual investigation shows, to aid warfighters. Here are steps you can take to help protect your web cameras from outsiders.

If you don’t already have a camera, or are replacing one, stay away from cheap or unfamiliar brands, says Paul Marrapese, a California cybersecurity specialist who has researched hacked webcams. Devices from established manufacturers are generally safer because bigger companies with reputations to protect give priority to security and roll out updates when problems arise. With smaller (and often cheaper) internet sellers, the risk is greater that flaws don’t get fixed or the devices are easily exposed on the web.

Devices that offer these features will give you a head start on securing your feed:

Residential security camera systems often come with default passwords or security codes that are easily found online. Use a complex, unique password that isn’t reused anywhere else, and use a password manager. Ideally, each person with access to your system should have their own login credentials, which means each access to the system links to a specific person.

Multifactor authentication (MFA) adds an additional layer of security to the login process. Even if someone steals or guesses your password, they can’t access your camera without an extra code sent to your phone or email, or supplied by an authentication app.

Most home camera systems connect to your Wi-Fi, and your protection is only as strong as the weakest link.

Taking advantage of your camera’s built-in security features—and maintaining them—can often be done by toggling a few settings.