South Korean authorities have uncovered a shocking privacy breach in which more than 120,000 home and business cameras were hacked and secretly turned into tools for producing sexually abusive content.
Police announced on Sunday that four individuals had been arrested after investigators discovered they were breaking into Internet Protocol (IP) cameras by exploiting weak security settings, especially the use of simple default passwords. These cameras, commonly used as affordable alternatives to CCTV, are installed in homes, offices, lounges, gyms, and clinics to monitor security, children, or pets.
Investigators say the cameras compromised were found in private homes, karaoke rooms, a Pilates studio, and even inside a gynaecology clinic — locations where people expected the highest level of privacy.
According to the National Police Agency, the suspects were not working together but operated separately. One suspect allegedly hacked into 63,000 cameras and created 545 sexually exploitative videos, which he later sold for virtual assets worth 35 million won. Another suspect reportedly hacked around 70,000 cameras and sold 648 videos for 18 million won.
Together, the two individuals are believed to have produced more than half of all IP-camera hacking videos uploaded in the past year to an overseas site that specialised in distributing such illegal content.
Police have already begun the process of blocking and shutting down the website and are working with foreign agencies to trace its operator. Three additional people suspected of buying and watching the illegal videos have also been arrested.
Park Woo-hyun, a senior cyber-crime investigator, said the crimes caused severe emotional harm to victims and promised aggressive action to eliminate this form of abuse. He added that even viewing or storing illegally filmed videos is a serious criminal offence and will be punished.
Authorities have so far directly contacted victims at 58 affected locations, guiding them on how to secure their devices, including the immediate change of passwords. They are also helping victims remove and block the leaked content while working to identify more people whose privacy may have been compromised.
Police urged the public to remain alert and regularly update passwords on home cameras and other internet-connected devices to prevent similar attacks.