South Korea Arrests Four for Hacking 120,000 Cameras

South Korean authorities have arrested four individuals accused of hacking more than 120,000 internet-connected cameras installed in homes, businesses, hospitals, saunas, and other private spaces across the country, then using the stolen footage to create and sell sexually exploitative videos on an overseas website.

The National Police Agency announced the arrests on Monday, stating that the suspects operated independently and exploited vulnerabilities in the devices, such as default or simple passwords like repeated characters or sequential numbers. The cameras, often marketed as affordable alternatives to traditional CCTV systems, transmit footage over home WiFi networks and are commonly used to monitor children, pets, or security. Investigators identified the hacks as part of a broader pattern of cyber intrusions targeting such devices worldwide.

Three of the suspects remain in custody facing charges of unauthorized access and production or distribution of illegal sexual content. One suspect allegedly breached 63,000 cameras, produced 545 exploitative videos, and sold them for 35 million won, equivalent to about 23,800 U.S. dollars, in virtual assets. Another accessed 70,000...