It is technically possible to tamper with the real-time video recording of the surveillance camera, but the specific feasibility depends on the security design of the surveillance system, the technical capabilities of the attacker, and the environmental conditions under which the tampering is carried out. The following is a detailed analysis of relevant technical means and their limitations： --- ###**1. Possible technical means of tampering** 1. **Network man-in-the-middle attack (MITM)** -**Principle**: By invading the network where the camera is located (such as Wi-Fi or local area network), an attacker intercepts the video streaming data packet in transmission, tampers with the content, and then forwards it to the receiving end (such as NVR or cloud server). -**Conditions**： -The network is not encrypted (such as using HTTP instead of HTTPS). -An attacker can control the router or hijack traffic through ARP spoofing and other means. -**Restrictions**: Modern monitoring systems generally use encrypted transmission (such as TLS/SSL), which greatly increases the difficulty of tampering. 2. **Camera firmware exploit** -**Principle**: Use vulnerabilities in the camera firmware (such as the default password and the unrepaired CVE vulnerability) to remotely invade and implant malicious code to tamper with the video stream. -**Case **: Some cheap cameras have been attacked by botnets such as Mirai due to the use of weak passwords or failure to update the firmware in a timely manner. -**Restrictions**: Specific vulnerabilities and attack techniques are required, and can be blocked by the manufacturer after repair. 3. **Video stream injection or replacement** -**Principle**: By reverse engineering the camera's video encoding protocol (such as RTSP, ONVIF), fake video streams are forged and the real content is replaced. -**Tools**: Use software (such as FFmpeg, GStreamer) to simulate legitimate devices to send data. -**Restrictions**: Device authentication mechanisms (such as digital signatures and encryption keys) need to be cracked. 4. **Deepfake technology** -**Principle**: Use AI to generate realistic fake videos and replace surveillance footage in real time. -**Restrictions**: High-performance computing resources are required, real-time tampering requires extremely high hardware, and it is currently mostly used for post-mortem forgery. 5. **Physical tampering and interference** -**Means**: Directly destroy the camera, block the lens, or interfere with the sensor through strong light/laser. -**Restrictions**: It is physical damage rather than concealed tampering, and it is easy to be discovered. --- ###**2. Defensive measures and restrictions** 1. **Encryption and authentication** -Use end-to-end encryption (such as HTTPS, SRTP) and strong passwords. -Enable device authentication (such as digital certificates, MAC address binding). 2. **Firmware and software security** -Regularly update the camera firmware and monitoring system patches. -Disable unnecessary network services (such as Telnet, unused ports). 3. **Data integrity verification** -Use digital signature or blockchain technology to ensure that the video has not been tampered with. -Multi-node backup (such as local storage + cloud storage), which increases the cost of tampering. 4. **Physical security** -Deploy the camera in a hard-to-reach location to monitor the safety status of the device itself. --- ###**3. Legal and ethical risks** -**Legality**: Unauthorized tampering with the monitoring system may violate the law (such as the crime of destroying a computer information system in the Criminal law). - **Ethical issues**: Tampering with surveillance footage may be used for illegal purposes such as covering up crimes and violating privacy. --- ###**Conclusion** **Technically feasible, but difficult to implement**: For unencrypted, low-security, or known vulnerabilities monitoring systems, it is possible to tamper with real-time video recording; however, for systems that use modern encryption technology, are updated regularly, and physical protection is in place, the cost of attack is extremely high. The core of defense is to improve system security and reduce the possibility of being attacked.