Security Concerns Arise Over Chinese-Manufactured Surveillance Cameras Deployed at Romanian Military Locations

A routine procurement made by the Romanian military on January 16 for surveillance equipment manufactured in China has sparked concerns regarding national security implications.

Valued at under $1,000, an employee of the Romanian Defense Ministry purchased an eight-port switch and two surveillance cameras from Hikvision, a Chinese company with purported ties to the Chinese military. Notably, both the United States and Britain have blacklisted Hikvision due to identified data and security vulnerabilities.

Although there is currently no evidence of breaches at the Deveselu military base, an investigation by RFE/RL’s Romanian Service revealed that Hikvision and Dahua, another Chinese company partly owned by the government, supply surveillance equipment to at least 28 military facilities and numerous other public institutions involved in national security across Romania.

While Romanian authorities assert that the equipment is used in closed-circuit systems without internet connectivity, experts argue that vulnerabilities in firmware could still pose risks, enabling remote access, data interception, and network attacks. Despite these concerns, Romania does not impose restrictions on the use of Hikvision or Dahua equipment, unlike some NATO allies such as the United States and Britain.

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