Unauthorized Leak of Over 180 IP Cam Videos Confirmed
Suspected Chinese-Made IP Cams... "Need to Be Vigilant"
Over 180 videos from IP (Internet Protocol) cameras capturing women's private lives in homes, pension swimming pools, and coin karaoke rooms were leaked without authorization.
Recently, IP cams, which are rapidly spreading for purposes such as monitoring the safety of children, elderly, and pets at home or preventing crimes, are connected to wired or wireless internet networks to stream videos in real time or be remotely controlled. They are easier to install and cheaper than closed-circuit (CC) TVs that block external access, but they are more vulnerable to security breaches.
On the 3rd, Yonhap News reported that since early last month, hacked IP camera footage has been distributed mainly on illegal pornography sharing sites both domestically and internationally.
The leaked videos varied from scenes of women changing clothes to sensitive private moments between couples. Not only homes but also pension swimming pools, coin karaoke rooms, hospitals, and company offices were not exempt.
One victim had about 30 videos filmed over more than two years from August 2021 to November last year leaked. The illegal footage was mainly posted on a Chinese website and sold for $10 to $15 each.
The videos have been viewed up to 140,000 times and are rapidly spreading online, but most victims seem unaware of the damage.
A representative from the Cyber Investigation Unit of the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency, investigating the sites where the videos were posted, told Yonhap News on the 3rd, "No reports of IP cam video leakage victims have been received so far."
According to the 'Information Security Status Survey' by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Information Security Industry Association last year, 9.5% of internet users responded that they use video surveillance equipment such as CCTV and IP cams in their personal living spaces.
In February 2019, the government revised the technical standards notice for terminal devices by the National Radio Research Agency to require IP cam buyers to change the initially preset passwords before using the product, but this only applies to officially released products in Korea, leaving overseas direct purchase products still in a 'management blind spot.'
Most of the leaked videos this time appear to have been recorded with Chinese-made IP cams. One video even displayed the Chinese phrase "23rd Internet Camera" at the top.
Concerns about security incidents have been continuously raised as more people purchase cheaper products through Chinese online shopping malls such as AliExpress, Temu, and Shein. Several posts on these sites show IP cams being sold for around 10,000 won.
Professor Kim Ki-hyung of the Cybersecurity Department at Ajou University pointed out, "It is urgent for authorities such as the police and the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) to identify causes, considering various possibilities like hacking of manufacturers' cloud servers," and added, "There needs to be heightened awareness regarding products brought in through overseas direct purchases."
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