In a reminder to avoid passwords like “admin” and “12345,” a group of hackers tapped into almost 1,000 Vietnamese private CCTV cameras and put them on the web for all to see.
According to their website, insecam.com, the hackers sought "to demonstrate the importance of paying attention to one's security settings."
The feeds (most of which seem to have been removed) came from private residents, kindergartens, shops and factories throughout the Vietnam.
Ngo Tuan Anh, deputy chair in charge of internet security at the BKAV IT company, which supplies many of the feeds, said that his company is working on a support tool “to spot cameras being spied on,” adding that, “The system canbe hacked in such a way that security forces will end up watching fake feeds during break-ins.”
Independent security expert, Nguyen Hong Phuc, said the attack was possible by identifying IP address linked to cameras with default settings.
“People only have to change their username and password. For better safety, they should switch off the function that allows them to share their footage on a surveillance network,” he said.
If you’re wondering whether your passwords are strong enough, check out this excellent guide from Google.
[Thanh Nien // Images via Pocmanagment]
