In April 2019, security researcher Paul Marrapese reported two serious flaws in iLnkP2P, a peer-to-peer (P2P) system used by some internet-connected cameras and other devices. His scan identified more than 2 million vulnerable devices at the time. That is a historical estimate—not a count of devices vulnerable today.
The flaws, CVE-2019-11219 and CVE-2019-11220, could let attackers find exposed devices and interfere with connections to capture credentials. If you own a camera or other IoT device that may use iLnkP2P, identify its exact model and firmware, then check the manufacturer’s current support and security-update information before deciding whether to keep using it.
What is iLnkP2P?
iLnkP2P is a peer-to-peer system developed by Shenzhen Yunni Technology Company, Inc. It was designed to help people connect to IoT devices from a phone or computer. A coordinating P2P server helps establish the connection between the user and the device.
SecurityWeek reported on April 26, 2019, that iLnkP2P appeared in products sold under hundreds of brand names. The report listed Hichip, TENVIS, SV3C, VStarcam, Wanscam, NEO Coolcam, Sricam, Eye Sight and HVCAM, among others. Reported product types included cameras, baby monitors and smart doorbells. A brand name alone does not establish that a particular device uses iLnkP2P or is vulnerable.
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What did the 2019 report find?
Paul Marrapese’s internet scan identified more than 2 million vulnerable devices, according to SecurityWeek’s 2019 account. The report relayed that 39% of the scanned devices were in China, 19% in Europe and 7% in the United States, and that nearly half were made by Hichip. These figures were attributed to Marrapese through SecurityWeek’s account of his discussion with KrebsOnSecurity. They describe his historical scan, not a current census or estimate of present-day exposure.
How could the iLnkP2P flaws enable remote attacks?
CVE-2019-11219: finding exposed devices
CVE-2019-11219 was described as an enumeration flaw: it could help an attacker quickly discover internet-exposed devices using the system. Finding devices could make it easier to identify targets at scale.
CVE-2019-11220: interfering with a connection
CVE-2019-11220 could let an attacker intercept a connection and carry out a man-in-the-middle attack. The report said this could expose a device password and enable hijacking. An attacker did not need to be on the victim’s local network, but needed the P2P server’s IP address and the target device’s UID.
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Marrapese said the flaws could be combined: one could help locate devices, while the other could interfere with connection setup. In his explanation quoted by SecurityWeek, an attacker could influence a connection so that a user connected to the attacker instead of the device, allowing credentials to be captured.
How can I tell whether my camera uses iLnkP2P?
Start with the exact product, rather than assuming that a device is affected because it is an internet-connected camera or has a brand listed in the 2019 report. Check its model number and firmware details, then look for documentation or support information identifying the connection service it uses. The report also pointed to device UID prefixes, which may be printed on a product label, as a clue that a device could be vulnerable. A UID prefix is a screening clue, not confirmation that a specific model or firmware remains vulnerable.
Ask the manufacturer or seller for model-specific answers to these questions:
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- Does this exact model use iLnkP2P?
- Does its current firmware address CVE-2019-11219 and CVE-2019-11220?
- Is the model still supported, and where can you obtain security updates?
- Can remote or P2P access be disabled or restricted?
The available 2019 report did not provide a current vendor-by-vendor patch inventory. It said patches were not available when the report was published; that historical status does not establish whether a particular device has since been updated or remains unsupported.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should I do if my device may be affected?
- Identify the device. Record the manufacturer, exact model, firmware version and, if relevant, the UID prefix. Use the product label, device settings or manufacturer documentation.
- Check current support. Consult the manufacturer’s official support and security-update information for that model. If the status is unclear, ask whether the firmware fixes the two CVEs and whether the product still receives security updates.
- Limit exposure while you verify. If the device offers a way to disable remote or P2P access, consider turning it off until you understand its support status. The 2019 report also identified restricting external access to UDP port 32100 as a way to prevent outside networks from reaching affected devices over P2P. That is historical mitigation advice; apply network restrictions only if you can do so safely and understand the effect on device connectivity.
- Replace an unsupported device if its risk cannot be addressed. Marrapese recommended discarding affected vulnerable products and buying replacements. If the manufacturer cannot confirm a fix or continued support, replacement is a reasonable option. Compare the exact model’s update support, remote-access controls and network requirements; the cited sources do not establish that any particular current camera is secure.
How can network controls reduce IoT risk?
Network-level restrictions can limit what a connected device is allowed to communicate with, but they do not repair vulnerable software. NIST SP 1800-15 describes Manufacturer Usage Description (MUD), an approach that lets a network permit an IoT device’s necessary communications for its intended function while prohibiting other traffic. This is general defense-in-depth guidance, not an iLnkP2P patch.
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No. Mandiant’s August 2021 report concerned CVE-2021-28372 in ThroughTek’s separate Kalay platform, not iLnkP2P. Mandiant said an attacker with a device UID could maliciously register a device and redirect client connections, potentially capturing credentials and gaining access to audio, video or further device functions. It reported more than 83 million active devices on Kalay at the time, while noting it could not compile a complete list of affected products. That platform-specific historical figure is not an iLnkP2P count, and Kalay’s recommended SDK and AuthKey/DTLS controls should not be treated as iLnkP2P fixes.
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