Video Camera hackers selling subscriptions to footage from home security cameras
Cybercriminals are selling video footage from home security cameras online. The videos are stolen from compromised home cloud-connected security cameras. The camera hackers are advertising their subscriptions to the stolen videos on the Discord messaging app.
Buyers pay $150 USD for a lifetime subscription to the videos recorded in people’s private homes. To encourage sales, a 700MB sample video clip with about 4000 videos and screenshots is available for free.
The video camera hackers are claiming to have access to over three terabytes (3TB) of video clips. Stolen video footage of people in their private residences includes children as well as couples. Some of the videos have been shared on porn sites. The Discord group used by the video camera hackers to sell their subscriptions has almost 1000 members according to a post on AsiaOne.
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The video camera hackers are also offering a VIP membership to teach their subscribers how to watch live videos from compromised security cameras.
IP Camera Security
An Internet Protocol camera (IP camera) is a internet connected digital camera that can be controlled from a remote location or app. An IP camera has no local video storage – like a hard drive or DVD. The camera sends all recorded videos to cloud storage.
It is important to secure cloud stored camera video footage so I cannot be viewed by unauthorized people.
Many of the security cameras are in residences in Thailand, South Korea Singapore, and Canada. According to AsiaOne, a number of the hacked video clips appear are taken from IP cameras in Singapore. The flats in the video clips look like typical Singapore housing authority residences and some of the videos found on porn sites are tagged as being from Singapore.
“As well as existing video clips, the group is apparently claiming to have a list of over 50,000 cameras on its files which VIP members can explore, watch live and even record,” according to more information on infosecurity.
Smart TV Security and Privacy Risks
The video footage appears to be legitimate and taken from Internet of (IoT) home security cameras. Homeowners use these cameras to monitor their residences while they’re away. They are often used by parents who want to look in on their school age children. Video lengths vary from less than one minute long up to 20 minutes long.
Secure your home security camera
Compromised home security cameras as well as other IoT devices are often the result of outdated software and weak passwords. Many home Internet-connected devices like routers and security cameras are shipped from the manufacturer with a standard username and password. The factory set login credentials can be looked up on the internet and are available to anyone including cybercriminals.
- Always use a strong password and unique for all of your devices and online accounts. Passwords should be hard to guess. If you’re unable to create and remember a unique password for all of your accounts and IoT devices, then try using a password manager to help you.
- Make sure your hardware, software, apps, and firmware are all kept up to date with the latest security patches. Hackers often exploit security bugs to break into devices and steal the sensitive information and files they contain.
- If your security cameras videos stored in the cloud, ensure that account access is secured with a unique and strong password.
- If your home security camera allows you to change the admin username then you should do so.
- Be sure to set a strong password for your home router. If you can change the admin username for your router then you should do so as soon as you install it.
