Hacking Damage Affects Over 400,000 Households
"Cover Unused Camera Lenses and Change Passwords Frequently"
On the morning of the 20th, seized items related to the hacking incident of the integrated home control panel (wall pad) were placed at the Seoul Mapo-gu Police Agency. Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Park] It has been revealed that a hacker who hacked the 'wall pad' installed on apartment living room walls to spy on the private lives of 400,000 households and attempted to sell the footage was a security expert, Mr. A (in his 30s), who had previously given interviews to the media about hacking.
Detective Park Hyun-min of the Cyber Terror Investigation Team at the National Police Agency, who apprehended Mr. A, appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 22nd and stated, "The role of a security expert is to discover security vulnerabilities and move towards better solutions, so we were surprised to learn that a security expert was involved in the crime."
Detective Park added, "Mr. A has stated that 'the purpose was not for sale but to raise awareness. As a white hacker, he proceeded in the form of reporting to improve vulnerabilities.'
However, the police are investigating based on posts Mr. A left on overseas sites and evidence of contact with buyers, believing that Mr. A had other motives. They are also considering the possibility that Mr. A distributed sensitive videos obtained through hacking the wall pad somewhere. Currently, the police estimate the number of affected households to be around 400,000.
Mr. A attempted hacking by routing through open Wi-Fi networks installed at commercial lodging facilities and stores to avoid exposing his own IP address. Detective Park explained, "Because Mr. A, a security expert, had already identified vulnerabilities in the wall pad and the apartment complex server, the crime was carried out in a complex manner." He continued, "When the wall pad is hacked, it can be seen as if all the home's authority is transferred to the hacker," expressing concern that "recently released wall pads have cameras for inter-unit video calls, which could be used for illegal filming and other crimes."
Detective Park urged special caution for households with wall pads installed, such as covering the camera lens. He advised, "While wall pads are very convenient when used properly, you must also follow necessary security measures. For those who do not use the wall pad camera, cover the camera lens and regularly change the wall pad password to prevent misuse in such crimes."
Meanwhile, on the 20th, the National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency announced that Mr. A was arrested on the 14th on charges of violating the Information and Communications Network Act and is currently under non-custodial investigation.
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