The IST Cam was deployed in 2002 as a public tool to follow the progress of the construction of the IST Building. It still sits on top of the Earth Sciences & Engineering Building looking down upon the rear-end of the IST Building. I’m not sure what useful purpose it serves now, but I occasionally use it as a live weather tracker.

As the IST News article published in 2002 says, this IST Cam would now rightfully be considered a “classic by internet standards,” and along with that comes a bunch of security holes. A quick google search for the Axis 2120 Network Camera 2.31 brings up a lengthy list of vulnerabilities and exploits.

It may be time for a firmware upgrade.

Also, what ever happened to the idea of relocating the IST Cam to a “permanent home within the building itself, recording activity in one of the public areas”? It would probably be more interesting if it were in Reese’s Cafe or pointing down the hall of the 2nd floor of the East IST Building, although either would bring up a surge of protests about privacy concerns.

Tags: exploit, hacking, ist cam, security, vulnerability

Categories: Gossip