Remotely viewable IP cameras, electric locks controlled by readers and door controllers, and the computer and cloud networks behind them are usually the same networks your business uses to handle email, computers, and other cloud applications. This means that any compromise from either direction affects both computing and security resources unless protective steps are taken in advance.
Business security systems like cameras and access control, VoIP and IP paging and AV, Cameras, and door controllers to protect people and property require professional cybersecurity just like any other networked device does. Vulnerabilities in these devices and systems are low hanging fruit for both property burglars and ransomware thieves. Even with strong passwords, thieves and hackers increasingly disable systems or hijack them for ransomware due to insecure segmentation, permissive remote access, lagging firmware updates, and lack of performance and cyber monitoring.
This article outlines what it actually takes to harden IP cameras and door controllers against today’s threats without overcomplicating your environment.
The Modern Threat Landscape for Cameras and Controllers
Attackers don’t need to “break” a physical security system to exploit it. They look for familiar weaknesses—places where governance is light, controls are inconsistent, or ownership is unclear.
It’s also worth acknowledging the operational reality: physical security, IOT, and VoIP are distributed technology stacks—where each phone, speaker, camera, door controller, door reader, switch, server, and monitoring station is or may be network connected.
Those connections, firmware updates and categories, operating systems, and vulnerabilities add up quickly. A mid-sized manufacturing facility can easily be managing 400+ devices tied to VoIP, Security, Paging, AV, production equipment, WiFi, all of which should be tied directly to both physical and cyber security operations collaboratively. Every device and connection has its own firmware lifecycle, credential model, permissions, and configuration requirements. When that workload isn’t understood, centralized, and governed in a secure manner, disaster is inevitable.
Common risk drivers include:
- Credential exposure (undiscovered or remediated phishing and smishing incidents, default passwords, shared accounts, weak admin controls)
- Patch and firmware lag driven by operational caution or unclear responsibility
- Unrestricted remote access pathways, once secure and later exposed due to latent vulnerabilities
- Flat network design that allows a compromised device to reach systems it should never touch
- Limited monitoring and alerting, which delays detection and extends dwell time
Why OT and IT Security Must Converge Now
Operational Technology (OT) priorities availability, uptime, and safety, have historically been managed differently than IT priorities like access governance, patch discipline, and threat monitoring. That separation made sense when OT, phone, and physical security systems were isolated. In most environments today, the same old security and manufacturing vendors exist but they’re often ignorant and non-compliant when it comes to cybersecurity or network performance.
Meanwhile the phones, speakers, devices, cameras and door controllers they’re selling depend on the same infrastructure and cybersecurity controls that the rest of your tech stack does in IT: switching, routing, identity, remote access, and on-premise and cloud server application and security management. If the security model for physical security and all IP connected devices isn’t aligned with IT governance, gaps appear quickly and they tend to persist.
Convergence matters for three reasons:
- Shared networks create shared consequences
When security endpoints sit on flat networks or overly permissive rulesets, compromise can become lateral movement.
- Identity is now the control plane
With remote administration and cloud portals, strong authentication, MFA, and role-based access are foundational—not optional. - Attackers exploit organizational seams
The OT/IT handoff is where exceptions accumulate forgotten or ill advised firewall rules, shared logins, unmanaged insecure vendor access, and devices that never enter patch cycles.
At BTI, we either provide, install, and manage the controls for our clients or we assist clients with managing those themselves. Our goal is to align OT operational requirements with IT-grade security standards so the system is reliable in the field and defensible on the network. At a minimum, we provide recovery services for clients so that in the event of a self-protected incident, clients can depend on BTI to restore the systems we are responsible for operationally. Ideally, we partner with the client in a shared responsibility agreement where every unpreventable incident is contained and most incidents are prevented in the first place.
What “Intentional Hardening” Looks Like in Practice
Segment the Environment to Reduce Blast Radius
Segmentation is one of the most effective controls because it assumes compromise is inevitable and limits what happens next.
A strong baseline typically includes:
- Dedicated VLANs or physically separate networks
- Firewall rules that enforce explicit allow lists, not broad access
- Separation between user traffic and management traffic
- No direct internet or internal accessibility for IOT devices other than the application servers or components that they connect with operationally
- Incident response plans as well as configuration and log backup and recovery plans with compliant backup and data retention policies
This approach improves security, reduces liability, and speeds and improves response when an incident occurs.
Treat Administrative Access as High-Value Access
Administrative access to security and access control platforms should be governed like any other privileged system because disabling these systems makes everything vulnerable to physical attack.
Best-practice controls include:
- Eliminate default credentials and shared administrator accounts
- Apply least privilege using role-based access control (RBAC)
- Enforce MFA where available (especially for cloud portals and remote admin)
- Disable unused accounts
This reduces the likelihood that a single credential event becomes a full-system incident.
Control Remote Access With Governance, Not Convenience
Remote support is valuable, but it must be designed and then continuously governed.
A secure remote model typically includes:
- VPN or Zero Trust access with MFA
- Named user accounts and session accountability
- Logging and auditing of administrative activity
- No port forwarding, exposed services, or “temporary” exceptions that become permanent
Build a Firmware and Update Plan That Can Actually Be Executed
Most organizations don’t struggle with the idea of patching, they struggle with execution. Devices are distributed, downtime is disruptive, and responsibility can be unclear.
A workable approach includes:
- Maintain documentation of devices and applications with licensing, firmware versions, locations, and owners
- Track vendor advisories and prioritize security-relevant updates
- Establish maintenance windows and a defined test/rollback process
- Plan replacement where devices no longer receive security updates
This turns firmware management from an ongoing risk into a predictable operational process.
Improve Visibility So Risk Doesn’t Stay Hidden
If IOT, VoIP, or physical security systems aren’t monitored, issues tend to surface late after misuse, disruption, or incident response begins.
A stronger posture includes:
- Centralize logs into your SIEM or monitoring toolset
- Alert on failed logins, privilege changes, configuration changes, and device disconnect patterns
- Monitor east-west traffic between VLANs for anomalies
Visibility is what turns security intents into measurable control.
Protecting Patient Data with Converged Security
In healthcare environments, physical security systems intersect with sensitive workflows and controlled spaces like pharmacies, restricted clinical areas, server rooms, and regulated storage. Even when cameras and access control platforms don’t store clinical records, they still generate sensitive data: video footage, access events, credential records, and audit trails.
A converged OT/IT approach protects patient-related risk in several practical ways:
- Reduces ransomware reach through segmentation
Proper separation prevents compromised devices from becoming a bridge into clinical or administrative systems. - Strengthens auditability and accountability
Centralized logging and governed administrative access support investigations and compliance expectations. - Limits exposure of video and access records
Role-based permissions ensure only authorized personnel can view, export, or report on sensitive data. - Supports uptime without sacrificing security
Hospitals can’t afford fragile systems. Converged planning allows for patch discipline and change control that respects operational realities.
BTI’s role in the process varies from basic deployment and handover to IT for network security to fully converged security, both cyber and physical, secure by design, maintainable in practice, and resilient over the lifecycle of the deployment.
Building a Secure System That Stays Secure
Cybersecurity is a lifecycle discipline. The biggest risk we see is drift: new ports added for convenience, exceptions granted “temporarily,” credentials shared during turnover, firmware left behind during busy quarters.
BTI’s focus is long-term reliability and support:
- Security architecture that fits your IT standards and your operational realities
- Deployment discipline that reduces risk from day one
- Ongoing support that keeps systems maintained, monitored, and accountable
Standardize IT, VoIP, Cloud, and Security Infrastructure Across Your Organization
If you’re responsible for risk, compliance, and uptime, physical security endpoints can’t be treated as exceptions. If you are only now learning about cyber risk, criminal, and contract liability exposure, BTI offers free cyber, security, and IT assessments and designs to support your company.
Clarity Beats Assumptions When It Comes to Security Risk.
If your cameras, access control, or IoT systems share your network, a professional review can reveal hidden exposure before attackers do.
