Hacked security cam footage from bedrooms, dressing rooms, spas found to be on sale on Telegram group

Researcher Minh Hung recently made an alarming discovery – a private Telegram group selling private footage from hacked security cameras in bedrooms, dressing rooms and toilets in homes, shops and spas around Vietnam. The group's description reads: “A group specialized in hacking into private cameras of families and shops in Vietnam. All footage is dark corners and hot scenes from families", and goes on to boast: “Our software constantly scans localities across the country. Most of the cameras are located in the corners of bedrooms, bathrooms, dressing rooms, toilets, hotels, clothing shops, massage parlors”.

The hackers offer three paid ‘packages’ for access to the footage, ranging from around $6.2 to $32.8. The third and “super VIP” tier gives users four years worth of hacked footage as well as access to live camera footage from hundreds of cameras. The latter is accessed by downloading a dedicated app and scanning QR codes for different feeds. Hung found that the time stamps on these feeds matched the current time and also found hundreds of obscene comments posted under the videos.

Cybersecurity officials interviewed for the story have stated that the biggest cause of hacked security cameras is poor password protection. Users either set simple passwords or leave it to the technicians setting them up. There are also genuinely vulnerable cameras and softwares from certain cheaper manufacturers, which are simply easier to hack into.

Experts recommend that users limit user access, set strong passwords that are changed regularly (or when any suspicious activity is detected) and keep camera software updated. It's also advisable to opt for better known brands and models, such as Google's Nest Cam outdoor/indoor and Wired Nest Cam Indoor, or Amazon's Blink Outdoor 4 wire-free security camera, Blink Mini Pan-Tilt Camera and Ring Stick Up Battery Cam.

Despite the obvious potential privacy issues around placing security cameras in private spaces, many customers overlook them in favour of the convenient and increasingly cheaper monitoring made possible by these devices. Revelations like this, horrifying as they are, at least serve to create awareness about the threat of privacy breaches and the steps we can take to reduce it.