Cybercriminals Are Selling Access to Chinese Surveillance Cameras
Source Threatpost
Exploited in the wild · KEV due 24 Jan 2022 · public exploit available (Metasploit, Exploit-DB) : block it and hunt for it in your logs now.
Data as of 4 Aug 2026, 12:42 UTC
- KEV deadline
- US federal agencies must patch by this date; a sensible deadline for everyone else. Other KEV due dates
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
t = 0 is the CVE’s publication on cve.org
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 22 Sep 2021
Detectable: evidence found.
nuclei template: Hikvision IP camera/NVR - Remote Command Execution
Weaponized: evidence found.
1 Metasploit module · 1 Exploit-DB entry, 33 days after disclosure
Exploited in the wildExploited: evidence found.
Listed in CISA KEV 110 days after disclosure
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: evidence found.
3 exposed hosts found; no attack traffic recorded
Timeline
CVE published
on cve.org
, t = 0
First Exploit-DB entry (opens in a new tab)
Hikvision Web Server Build 210702 - Command Injection
, 33 days after disclosure
Added to CISA KEV (opens in a new tab)
exploitation confirmed
, 110 days after disclosure
KEV remediation due
US federal deadline
, 124 days after disclosure
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), CISA KEV (opens in a new tab), OffSeq Mirage (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 2 Nov 2026.
Description
A critical command injection vulnerability (CVE-2021-36260) affecting Hikvision surveillance cameras remains unpatched in over 80,000 devices worldwide nearly a year after disclosure. The vulnerability has a critical severity rating of 9.8 and allows remote command injection. Despite the severity, many devices remain exposed due to challenges in patching IoT devices and use of default credentials. Cybercriminals are actively selling access to these vulnerable cameras on dark web forums. The full extent of exploitation is unclear, but threat actors including Chinese and Russian groups could potentially leverage this flaw.