Four people are now under arrest in South Korea after police announced that they had allegedly hacked more than 120,000 private and commercial video cameras, as per the BBC. According to the police, the hackers used it to generate sexually exploitative footage for an illegal overseas website.
If you use an Internet Protocol, or IP, camera at home or in your business, this news should genuinely alarm you. The sheer scale of this breach is shocking, but the locations targeted confirm our worst fears about pervasive surveillance.
The cameras reportedly hacked across the country included standard private homes, which is awful enough. But the suspects also accessed footage from karaoke rooms, a pilates studio, and even a gynaecologist’s clinic.
It’s a colossal privacy breach, and what’s more shocking is how vulnerable to it we are
IP cameras are often seen as a cheaper alternative to traditional CCTV systems. They connect directly to your home or business Wi-Fi network and are commonly installed so people can monitor their children, pets, or overall security.
The police revealed that the accused exploited some pretty basic vulnerabilities in these devices, primarily simple or default passwords. This is a crucial reminder that if you haven’t changed your device’s password from “12345” or “admin,” you’re leaving your digital front door wide open.
The money involved shows just how lucrative this illegal trade has become. One of the suspects is accused of hacking a staggering 63,000 cameras. That single individual produced 545 sexually exploitative videos, which he then sold for virtual assets valued at 35 million won, or about $12,235.
Another suspect was even more prolific in terms of reach, allegedly hacking 70,000 cameras. That hacker sold 648 videos and made 18 million won worth of assets. Unlike the hacker who took over accounts of billionaires and presidents, these two main perpetrators alone were responsible for approximately 62% of the videos posted on the illegal distribution website over the past year.
Police are taking this extremely seriously. They are actively moving to block and shut down the distribution website and are cooperating with foreign agencies to investigate the person running the site itself. They’ve also arrested three other people who are suspected of simply buying and viewing the material distributed through the site.
South Korea’s National Police Agency issued a critical security warning for anyone using this technology. They emphasized that personal vigilance is the most effective defense right now. The agency stated, “Above all, it is crucial and effective for individual users who have installed IP cameras in homes or business premises to remain vigilant and immediately and regularly change their access passwords.”
If you’re using an IP camera, please take this advice immediately. You can’t rely on the factory default settings for real security. If you are a US senator, though, your surveillance worries don’t stop there.
Published: Dec 2, 2025 03:00 pm