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SINGAPORE (THE NEW DOCUMENT) – Singapore’s home security cameras have been hacked and images shared online.
Clips of the hacked images were uploaded to porn sites recently, and several were explicitly tagged as Singaporean.
The videos, which can be anywhere from less than a minute to more than 20 minutes, feature couples, nursing mothers, and even children.
Most of them were in various stages of nudity or compromising positions.
Many faces could be clearly seen in different areas of the house, such as the living room and the bedroom. Some were seen using the bathroom with the door ajar.
In a video, dated March 2020, a teenage girl dressed in a white T-shirt and underwear could be seen, with school books around her. Among them was a Level O 10-Year Series book used by students preparing for the exam.
In many of the videos, which were labeled Singaporean, the layout of the houses was typical of a Housing Board floor.
The images appeared to be from common Internet Protocol (IP) cameras in Singaporean homes. They are installed for security purposes or to remotely monitor children, the elderly, domestic workers and pets.
On closer inspection of the videos, it is apparent that a group dedicated to hacking IP cameras was behind the hacking. The group, which can be found on the social messaging platform Discord, has nearly 1,000 members worldwide.
As of Saturday, Discord chat members claim to have shared more than 3TB of clips with more than 70 members, who paid a subscription fee of US $ 150 (Singapore $ 203) to access them for life.
The victims appear to be from several countries, including Thailand, South Korea and Canada. A 700MB “sample”, containing around 4,000 pirated videos and footage, is provided free of charge.
A significant portion of the clips appeared to come from IP cameras in Singapore.
The group claims to have a list of more than 50,000 hacked cameras that members can access. It also claims that VIP members will be taught how to “explore, watch live and even record” hacked cameras through tutorials and personalized sessions.
PREVENT HACKING
Clement Lee, Asia Pacific Solutions Architect for Check Point Software Technologies, said that many IP cameras are at risk as they are typically installed for remote access over the Internet.
“Hacking of IP cameras is possible if they can be accessed from a central cloud service or if they are exposed to the Internet,” he said.
“It is usually the result of poor password management.”
He advises those who have these types of cameras at home to make sure their software is up to date and to avoid using simple passwords.
“Never assume your camera is safe,” he said. “The best way to avoid being a victim of hackers is to avoid sharing personal data online.”
Criminal lawyer James Ow Yong said that anyone who hacks these types of cameras will break the law even if they are outside of Singapore.
“The Computer Misuse Act has extra-jurisdictional scope and applies as long as the defendant was in Singapore or the computer, program or data was in Singapore at the time of the crime,” he said.
Those who share or watch these videos can be prosecuted for crimes related to voyeurism.
He added: “When the victim is under the age of 16, the material can be considered child pornography, and those crimes attract a greater variety of sentences.
“We also know that international and regional groups like Interpol are quite active in hunting down these criminals.”
Ow Yong said that those who distribute or sell child pornography can be imprisoned for up to seven years, fined or punished.
Those who advertise or search for such material can be imprisoned for up to five years, fined or punished.
A police spokesman said the public should make a police report if they know someone is involved in such activities.
TAKE PRECAUTIONS
The public is advised to take these precautions to secure their IP cameras:
– Use an IP camera from a trusted brand that offers reliable security features;
– Update the IP camera software as soon as it is available; Y
– Use a strong password and change it regularly. Do not use the default password that came with the IP camera.
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