Video footage from baby monitors, webcams and security cameras are being hacked and broadcast onto a Russian website.
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The footage is being obtained from cameras in the US, UK, Australia, Canada and more, leading to officials urging users of cameras to change their passwords.
It is estimated that 5,000 video feeds in the US have been hacked into, while 600 feeds in the UK have received the same treatment. The website lists the videos by region and camera, meaning that viewers can select what kind of video feed they want to watch.
Here is what the video feeds look like on the site, edited by the BBC to protect the privacy of those being filmed:
Users of cameras that require an online connection are now being told to change their default password in order to make it harder for hackers to obtain their information, by creating lengthier passwords that include upper and lower case letters along with numbers.
Speaking to the BBC, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office said: “The underlying problems with this don’t just relate to this one webcam site, but potentially to anyone who uses a default password on any device.
“If there’s an example that shows the dangers of using default passwords that we think could be used as a way of getting that message out there and saying this is a major problem… [then it’s] a good opportunity.”
The spokesperson continued: “They scan the internet and track down feeds. There are 600 in the UK and that is nothing – there are 5,000 in the States. We were alerted to it by our colleagues in Australia and Canada. It’s all over the place.”
Several countries employ an internet misuse act that would immediately lead to these sorts of websites being shut down, but at the time of this writing Russian officials have yet to issue a response to calls for the site to be taken down. With that being said, even if the site is removed then it is already abundantly clear that the video feeds are easily accessible, meaning that while this hacking is (so far) relatively small in scale, those using cameras which operate using internet connectivity should immediately change their passwords.
