RTSP
RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol, RFC 7826, originally RFC 2326) is a control protocol IP cameras, NVRs, and video doorbells use to negotiate and manage a live video stream, typically on port 554. RTSP itself defines no mandatory authentication or encryption; whether a stream requires a username and password is up to the device's implementation, and many consumer and budget cameras ship with it disabled or not configured. A camera with port 554 reachable from the public internet and no authentication enabled lets anyone who finds it watch the live feed -- a widely publicized 2014 index of roughly 73,000 unprotected cameras, most exposing a feed over RTSP or a similarly unauthenticated stream, demonstrated how common this exposure is in practice. Checking whether an RTSP port is reachable from outside the network, and enabling the device's authentication, are the two basic fixes.
By AdminKit team, Netbase JSC · Updated