Should Consumers Use Security Cameras that are Banned by the U.S. Government?

The U.S. government has banned several of the biggest global suppliers of camera surveillance equipment, which originate out of China, due to national security concerns. Specifically, Dahua and Hikvision, two of the biggest providers of security cameras are on the list. The government is in the difficult process of identifying and removing theses cameras.  

Security issues have been detected. At least in the case of Dahua, there were some issues found by researchers which could allow the Chinese government to potentially monitor the devices that are in sensitive locations and government facilities. The company has indicated it has fixed the vulnerabilities but concerns linger.  

These products are used heavily across the surveillance industry because of their low cost and impressive features. Many US companies but the components to integrate into their systems or full cameras and simply re-brand them as their own. It is very common. Which means, if you have cameras at home or work, chances are good that they may be from these companies.   

The question we all must ask, is that if security researchers and governments don’t want these cameras because of hacking concerns, should consumers be using them? If there are backdoors or vulnerabilities embedded, then not only can China gain access, but also it is an opportunity for hackers to do the same. Over the past few years, vast numbers of IP cameras have been compromised by various malicious botnets like Mirai, to cause havoc to the internet and victimize users around the globe.    

Would you want these cameras in your home?