News: 0180418169

  ARM Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life (Terry Pratchett, Jingo)

Mass Hacking of IP Cameras Leave Koreans Feeling Vulnerable in Homes, Businesses (joins.com)

(Thursday December 18, 2025 @05:40PM (msmash) from the troubling-episodes dept.)


Hackers breached approximately 120,000 IP cameras across South Korea and [1]allegedly sold footage captured from private homes, gynecology offices, breastfeeding rooms and massage parlors to an overseas pornography website, prompting an interagency government task force to announce sweeping reforms on December 7.

Police believe one suspect alone hacked 63,000 cameras and produced 545 videos that netted him 35 million won ($24,000) in cryptocurrency; a second suspect, operating independently, compromised 70,000 devices and earned 18 million won from 648 videos. The footage accounted for 62% of all content on the website, which maintains a dedicated "Korean" category. A government survey found that only 59% of installation companies consistently carried out mandatory security measures such as changing default passwords. Lawmakers are now pursuing legislation requiring security-certified IP cameras in sensitive facilities.



[1] https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2025-12-17/national/socialAffairs/Mass-hacking-of-IP-cameras-leave-Koreans-feeling-vulnerable-in-homes-businesses/2478843


It won't matter... (Score:2)

by YuppieScum ( 1096 )

...if the cameras are "security-certified" if either (a) the box they feed isn't, or (b) they're installed by idiots.

Re: (Score:2)

by Z00L00K ( 682162 )

If the cameras need a cloud service to work then you are doing it wrong. Way too many devices uses cloud services these days.

Also turn off UPnP in your router since that can open up backdoors to no end.

As usual (Score:3)

by Voice of satan ( 1553177 )

As usual, 545 videos for 24 000 $ is a lot of victims for little profits. Crime annoys a lot of people for very petty results. The people doing that deserve to be called lowlifes on many levels.

Why put the cameras there? (Score:2)

by gurps_npc ( 621217 )

This is on par with buying gift cards and reading the numbers over the phone to 'pay your unexpected tax bill'.

If you buy a camera and put it on line and do not have a full time security guy to maintain it, I assure you it will be hacked.

NKor disappointed (Score:2)

by david.emery ( 127135 )

It'll be harder for them to compromise SKor. But seriously, given the hacker haven that North Korea is, you'd think South Korea would be a lot more careful with computer security regulation.

Sure, makes sense (Score:3)

by argStyopa ( 232550 )

Hey, we're going to have a room set up just for breastfeeding.

Should I put in a webcam connected to the internet?

Of course!

Action is good but this one? (Score:2)

by Teun ( 17872 )

Their action is requiring security-certified IP cameras in sensitive facilities.

What is wrong expecting this for all camera's (and devices)?

Well, my daddy left home when I was three,
And he didn't leave much for Ma and me,
Just and old guitar an'a empty bottle of booze.
Now I don't blame him 'cause he ran and hid,
But the meanest thing that he ever did,
Was before he left he went and named me Sue.
...
But I made me a vow to the moon and the stars,
I'd search the honkey tonks and the bars,
And kill the man that give me that awful name.
It was Gatlinburg in mid-July,
I'd just hit town and my throat was dry,
Thought I'd stop and have myself a brew,
At an old saloon on a street of mud,
Sitting at a table, dealing stud,
Sat that dirty (bleep) that named me Sue.
...
Now, I knew that snake was my own sweet Dad,
From a wornout picture that my Mother had,
And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye...
-- Johnny Cash, "A Boy Named Sue"