Thousands of Internet Protocol (IP) cameras were hacked in South Korea (Picture: Getty Images)
More than 120,000 video cameras in homes and businesses have been hacked in South Korea, with the footage used to make sexually exploitative materials for an overseas website.
Four people were arrested and police said they exploited the Internet Protocol (IP) cameras’ vulnerabilities, such as simple passwords.
Often marketed as a budget-friendly substitute for CCTV, IP cameras link directly to a home’s internet network and are widely used for security or keeping an eye on children and pets.
The locations of hacked cameras reportedly include private homes, karaoke rooms, a pilates studio and a gynaecologist’s clinic.
Four suspects allegedly operated independently of one another and did not conspire together, according to a statement released by South Korea’s National Police Agency.
One of the suspects is accused of hacking 63,000 cameras and producing 545 sexually exploitative videos.
He then allegedly sold these videos for 35 million won (£9,250) worth of virtual assets.
Another allegedly hacked 70,000 cameras and sold 648 videos for 18 million won worth of assets.
The two suspects were reportedly responsible for 62% of videos in the past year on a website that illegally distributed IP camera hacking footage.
The IP cameras are commonly used for security or to monitor children and pets (Picture: Getty Images)
Police are cooperating with foreign agencies to investigate the website’s operator and to shut it down.
Three other people who are suspected of having bought and viewed the material through the website have been arrested.
Park Woo-hyun, a cyber investigation chief at the National Police Agency, said: ‘IP camera hacking and illegal filming inflict immense suffering on victims and are therefore serious offences.
‘We will eradicate them through vigorous investigations.
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‘Viewing and possessing illegally filmed videos are also serious crimes, so we will actively investigate them.’
Victims at 58 locations have been personally visited or notified by authorities, where they were informed of the incident and given guidance on changing passwords.
Authorities are also helping victims delete and block content, and working to identify others who might have been affected.
The National Police Agency said in a statement: ‘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.’
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