With so many making headlines lately, it's important that both security and network professionals understand how to protect the video streams from being compromised. In low-risk environments, requiring a user name and password might be sufficient to prevent unauthorized access to the video feed. For higher-risk environments, some of the more popular logical security measures built into network cameras include:

* IP filtering. Some network cameras and video encoders (which convert existing analog cameras into network-enabled devices) use IP filtering to prevent all but one or a few IP addresses from accessing the network video components. IP filtering provides a function similar to a built-in firewall. Typically, the network cameras are configured to accept commands only from the IP address of the server hosting the (VMS).

* Encryption. Encrypting the data rather than the transport provides a higher level of privacy. Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is the most common data encryption protocol used in like online banking to provide the requisite security for financial transactions performed over the Internet. Many network video cameras have built-in support for HTTPS, which makes it possible for video to be securely viewed using a Web browser.

* Port authentication. Network cameras and video encoders with built-in are especially useful where network cameras are mounted in public spaces such as reception areas, hallways, meeting rooms or on the outside of the building. 802.1X uses special identification certificates to either authenticate cameras attached to a LAN port and establish a point-to-point connection or deny access from that port if authentication fails.