ONVIF®, noted for establishing interoperability standards for IP-based physical security products, has unveiled the Release Candidate for its new Media Signing Add-on.
This innovation provides a standardized approach to verifying the authenticity and integrity of surveillance video. Such capabilities are crucial in settings like law enforcement, corporate investigations, insurance claims, and legal proceedings, where the credibility of video evidence is paramount. As the threat of manipulated and AI-generated videos grows, the new add-on aids users in confirming the source and unaltered state of surveillance footage.
Ensuring Video Integrity
Securing video authenticity is vital to building trust, observed Leo Levit, Chairman of the ONVIF Board of Directors. He remarked, "Proving authenticity is central to trust in video. The Media Signing Add-on Release Candidate gives the security industry a standardized method to help counter manipulated video and defend authentic content.” Through its open standard, ONVIF enhances transparency and trust, enabling investigators, insurers, and legal entities to authenticate videos from varied sources using uniform tools and processes.
Scheduled to discuss this at GSX 2026 in Atlanta, Roberto Licari, ONVIF Ambassador, will present "Can Security Video Survive Generative AI?" on September 14 from 2:45 to 3:45 PM in Room B316, offering insights into the evolving landscape of video surveillance and authenticity.
Cryptographic Video Signing
The Media Signing Add-on equips network video devices, including IP cameras and encoders
The Media Signing Add-on equips network video devices, including IP cameras and encoders, with a standardized method to cryptographically sign encoded video data right at its creation.
This cryptographic signature ties the video to the originating device, safeguarding the integrity of the footage across platforms. Supporting verification tools then ensure the video's validity, maintaining traceability back to the source device, even after widespread sharing. Currently, the add-on supports video and will expand to include audio in future versions. Products conforming to this add-on must also adhere to an established ONVIF profile.
Open Source Implementation
Additionally, ONVIF has released its media signing framework as an open-source project, sharing both signing and verification code on the ONVIF GitHub. This approach not only promotes transparency but also simplifies the implementation process for both camera vendors and client applications, allowing them to delve into the technical workings of signing and verification.
Transparency is key to maintaining trust in the authentication procedures and the video’s integrity. The open-source initiative is anticipated to encourage broader adoption within the security sector. ONVIF members now access specification and testing tools via the ONVIF Member Portal, with the final specification slated for release by the end of 2026.
ONVIF®, whose open standards make IP-based physical security products interoperable worldwide, announces the Release Candidate for the ONVIF Media Signing Add-on, a standardized method for confirming the authenticity and integrity of surveillance video.
Surveillance footage matters most when it is relied upon after an incident, in settings such as law enforcement casework, corporate and internal investigations, insurance claims, and legal proceedings. Yet as manipulated and AI-generated video becomes more convincing, the long-standing assumption that such footage is genuine is becoming harder to defend. The ONVIF Media Signing Add-on enables those who depend on surveillance footage to verify where the signed video originated and whether it has been unaltered since it was created.
Integrity of surveillance video
“Proving authenticity is central to trust in video. The Media Signing Add-on Release Candidate gives the security industry a standardized method to help counter manipulated video and defend authentic content,” said Leo Levit, Chairman, ONVIF Board of Directors. “Making it an open standard ensures transparency, builds trust and enables investigators, insurers and courts to verify video from different sources using consistent tools and workflow.”
ONVIF will be speaking on video authenticity as part of the educational programming at GSX 2026, September 14-16 in Atlanta. Roberto Licari, ONVIF Ambassador, will present "Can Security Video Survive Generative AI?" on September 14 from 2:45-3:45 PM in Room B316.
Signed video sequence
The Media Signing Add-on gives network video devices, such as IP cameras and video encoders, a standardized method for cryptographically signing encoded video at the point of creation. The signing information links the video to the specific device that produced it and protects the integrity of the signed video sequence.
A video player or verification tool that supports the Media Signing Specification can then confirm whether the signed video is valid and trace it back to its source, even after the video has been shared across different platforms and services. The add-on currently supports video; support for audio is planned for future versions. To claim conformance with the Media Signing Add-on, a product must also conform to an ONVIF profile.
Combination of open code
ONVIF has released the implementation of media signing as an open-source project, publishing the framework code for both signing and verification on the ONVIF GitHub. Opening the code to the developer community makes the ONVIF method transparent and easier to implement for camera vendors and client applications alike, while allowing anyone to examine how signing and verification work.
That transparency in the technical implementation preserves trust in the authentication process and the integrity of the video itself. The combination of open code and easier implementation is expected to help the standard gain wider adoption across the security industry. ONVIF members can now access the specification and test tools for prototyping and testing in the ONVIF Member Portal. ONVIF expects to release the final specification at the end of 2026.
