The CameraBlinder system is designed to exploit the vulnerabilities in light sensors used by security cameras. Our approach focuses on using low-power lasers to manipulate these sensors, effectively tricking cameras into switching from night mode to day mode. This transition disables the infrared (IR) illumination typically used during nighttime, rendering the cameras blind to activities occurring in the dark.
Laser Power
5 mW
Attack Distance
150 Meters
Attack Time
12.8 Seconds
Demo Videos
For privacy concerns, we blur the human face on our videos.
Outdoor Scenarios (Demo 1 - 5)
A surveillance camera monitors a residential driveway. At the 5th second, a targeted laser beam forces the camera into daytime working mode, disabling its IR functionality. The footage shows significantly reduced visibility, with only a few illuminated areas are visible due to the lack of IR light from the camera.
A surveillance camera monitors the backyard of a house. At the 3rd second, a targeted laser beam forces the camera into daytime working mode, disabling its IR functionality. As a result, the video feed turns completely dark, highlighting the absence of IR illumination.
A surveillance camera monitors the same backyard of a house. At the 2nd second, a targeted laser beam forces the camera into daytime working mode. As a result, the video feed turns completely dark.
A surveillance camera monitors an outdoor parking lot. At the 6th second, the attack forces the camera into daytime working mode, disabling its IR functionality. As a result, the video feed becomes predominantly dark, with only a few highlighted areas visible due to scattered ambient light.
A surveillance camera monitoring an outdoor parking lot is targeted by the attack starting at the 6th second. The camera is then forced into daytime working mode, which disables its IR functionality, resulting in a completely dark video feed.
Indoor Scenarios (Demo 6 - 7)
A surveillance camera is monitoring a room when an attacker approaches. The attack begins at the 5th second, forcing the camera into daytime working mode. As a result, the video feed turns dark and cannot capture any human presence. At the 21st second, when the attack ceases, the camera regains its ability to record clear videos.
A surveillance camera is positioned to monitor a room when an attacker attempts to breach security. The attack begins at the 11th second, using a laser to force the camera into daytime working mode. This disables its IR functionality, leaving the video feed with only a few illuminated areas visible due to the absence of IR light.
Blinding Multiple Cameras (Demo 8)
In this scenario, we deploy three wireless security surveillance cameras to simultaneously monitor a target area (i.e., a parking lot). To bypass them, CameraBlinder concurrently control three lasers, each targeting one camera. The attack initiates at the 5th second, forcing all cameras to switch to daytime working mode due to the laser interference. As a result, all the three cameras are blinded at the same time. Particularly, the captured footage for Camera 1 reveals only limited illuminated areas; the recordings of Cameras 2 and 3 are almost completely black.
Source Code
Test Dataset (Camera Traffic Identification)
Experiment Setup
At first, you need to pickup a laser module, we suggest a 5mW green laser with 520nm of wavelength.
Prepare the Camera
Mount the target camera on a fixed tripod or wall, we choose to install that on the wall of a rental house.
Connect the camera to its normal power and network environment (2.4 Ghz WiFi is prefered as the signal coverage is good).
Prepare the Blinding Laser Module and Motor Base
Mount the laser source on a separate stable tripod. Keep 10 meters away. We suggest using a step motor controlled base to adjust laser angle.
Align the source toward the camera's front facing area. Define a starting point, then follow a certain pattern to scan the whole area of the camera.
Safety: If the blinding source is a laser over 1mW, use an appropriate enclosed/controlled setup, avoid eye exposure, and follow the applicable laser-safety requirements.
Pick a WiFi adapter which supports monitor mode.
Here is a good reference:
https://github.com/morrownr/USB-WiFi/blob/main/home/Recommended_Adapters_for_Kali_Linux.md
Prepare the Network
Using Linux based operating system like Kali Linux, connect the supported WiFi sniffer.
Configure the camera under normal operating conditions.
Configure the Sniffing Device
Use a Wi-Fi adapter capable of monitor mode, and enable the monitor mode using Airomon toolkit.
Configure the adapter to the appropriate Wi-Fi channel.
Start packet capture.
Establish the Baseline
Capture Wi-Fi traffic while the camera operates normally.
Record traffic for a fixed duration under controlled conditions, check for traffic bursts to see enabled cameras.
Collect and Process Data
Save packet captures (PCAP files) for each trial.
Extract relevant features such as packet timestamps, packet sizes, directions, frame types, and traffic rates.
Label each capture according to the corresponding experimental condition.
Analyze the Traffic
Compare traffic patterns between baseline and experimental conditions.