Suspects exploited weaknesses in the security settings, such as easy-to-guess passwords to gain unauthorised access
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South Korean authorities have arrested four people suspected of hacking more than 120,000 security cameras. The suspects exploited weaknesses in security settings, such as easy-to-guess passwords, to gain unauthorised access. The footage was then distributed as sexually explicit content on a foreign website.
The suspects, who reportedly acted independently from one another, targeted a range of locations, including private homes, karaoke rooms, gyms and even medical clinics. One suspect is accused of hacking 63,000 cameras and producing 545 videos, which were sold for substantial amounts in virtual currencies. Another suspect hacked around 70,000 cameras and produced 648 videos, which were likewise sold for virtual currencies.
Together, the two suspects are responsible for more than 60% of the illegal content uploaded to the website over the past year. The South Korean police are currently working to shut the site down and are cooperating with international partners to identify and apprehend the operator.
According to a report in the Korea Herald, two other suspects had hacked into 15,000 and 136 IP cameras respectively but had not distributed the illegal images.
In addition, the authorities have arrested three people suspected of buying and viewing the illegally obtained footage. Park Woo-hyun, head of cyber investigations at the National Police Agency, underlined the seriousness of these crimes and stated that hacking IP cameras and illegally recording people causes immense suffering and is treated as a serious criminal offense.
He stressed that not only the creation and distribution of such content is illegal, but that merely viewing and possessing it is also considered a serious crime and can lead to prosecution.
The authorities have proactively contacted victims at 58 identified locations, informed them about the breach and advised them on securing their devices by changing their passwords. They are also helping victims remove and block illegal content and are trying to identify other potentially affected individuals.
The National Police Agency has urged all users of IP cameras to remain vigilant, change their access passwords regularly and take proactive measures to protect their privacy and security.
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