Can camera be hacked/accessed by bad actors?

@margaretarnett123, most cameras that are hacked are done so by the plain negligence of their owners by not using a proper password, or even one at all.  In my opinion, the only cameras I would, and do, use are those that are fully integrated with my Simplisafe security system. It is encrypted and is fullly integrated. Can it be hacked? Yes, any system can be hacked, including those of security companies and the federal government, but that doesn't mean you make it easy for them.

I sleep soundly at night.  You will have reach your own opinion.

Are the SS cameras encrypted?  SS3 seems to be, but the cameras work with SS2 which is not, and I don't recall seeing any claims the cameras were encrypted.  They use WiFi, which is not all that secure.

And for that matter, they are hardly "fully integrated".  If that were the case, the SS base and the cameras would have direct 2 way communication, whereas there is little communication between the base and the camera via the SS servers, and no communication the other way.  They are, however, more integrated than any non-SS camera could possibly be, as they use the same app and same central office.

@sevensiamesecats

The cameras use WPA2 encryption, and is only as secure as your wifi password. A brute force hack of your wifi password would be easier than trying to crack WPA2 encryption by decryption (next to impossible).
That being said, the "integration" you're talking about is just a shell. The base and the camera do not talk to each other. The camera cannot trigger the alarm, and the base can trigger the camera (sort of). The camera is triggered using the timeline (Visible and hidden cloud communication) so in a sense the base is actually triggering it. However if you are no link to dispatch, the camera shouldn't trigger for the event. You can test this by disconnecting your system from wifi and cellular and then arming the system (a camera recording event).

Assume that everything connected to the internet CAN be hacked.  You can make it harder for someone to do so (encryption, strong unique passwords, etc), but there is always that possibility.  Personally, I would never put an internet connected camera inside my home.  I even keep the cameras on my phones, tablets, and laptops covered when I'm not using them.  Granted, most of us are not going to be the targets of sophisticated hacking, because who's gonna want to see me sitting on the couch watching TV with my cat, but I don't wish to risk my privacy at the hands of any company's algorithms (and word that they won't watch themselves as was the case recently with Ring).