Posted on December 28, 2019 at 6:24 PM
Thai Prison’s Surveillance camera system hacked
Thailand officials revealed that there was an online breach of a surveillance video system in the Lang Suan Prison in the southern part of the country. The hackers were able to get surveillance videos from the system and broadcast them on youTube.
According to Thai media, the hackers broadcast the video live on YouTube on Tuesday for several hours. The video showed prisoners in a confined space. According to Thai media, the hacker used the YouTube account name, BigBrother’s Gaze, to broadcast the video.
Hacker was from outside Thailand
An official at the Correction Department confirmed to reporters that the perpetrator of the hacking act was from someone outside China. Several surveillance cameras are connected online, which may not be known to users. The protection or security over such connections may not be known or erroneously neglected by the user.
From the report, it seems the hacker was only able to get into the camera surveillance system via internet connection. In other words, the hack would have been very difficult for the hacker if the camera system was not connected to the Internet of Things.
The official did not disclose her identity since she doesn’t have the authorization to pass across such information. But she said the prison was informed about the breach from a reporter who saw the broadcast.
Col. Narat Sawettanan, Director-General of Thai’s Corrections Department, has already ordered the prison to shut down the surveillance system and look into the incident. He has also requested a file of complaint from the commander in charge of the prison.
Video shows inmates living in unfavorable conditions
The BangkokPost reported that the Lang Suan Prison’s camera system had been breached and YouTube footage is showing prison inmates living in unfavorable conditions.
The video was released on YouTube and those who saw it condemned the overcrowded living conditions of the inmates. Somsak Thepsuthin, Thai’s Justice Minister, said he got a hint of the incident from the Corrections Department recently. However, the authorities were not sure how the hackers were able to breach the surveillance system.
Incident could be an infringement of the prisoner’s rights
Thepsuthin has concerns that the release of the video online may have violated the rights of the prisoners. Authorities are still investigating the incident and hope to get concrete evidence about the leak and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Possible cause of the leak
Many believe the hackers were able to get into the system because the surveillance system was connected online. The CCTV surveillance systems were set up by a private security installation firm. However, in order to make it accessible to authorized officials from their locations, it was connected online. The incident has raised questions on the vulnerability of smart devices, LoT devices, and other connectable devices to hackers.
The YouTube channel showing the video has taken off the video. Right now the footage is no longer available, as the account owner may have deleted it.
In the channel’s description, the hacker said the video wasn’t obtained by a breach. He advised those setting up their surveillance camera to change the default passwords immediately.
Internet connected surveillance cameras too vulnerable to hackers
Recent report revealed that of all Internet of Things devices, internet connected surveillance systems seem to be the most vulnerable to hackers. The safety of these camera systems will continue to be a problem as attackers easily bypass the security of these protocols.
In most cases, many cameras are vulnerable, especially those that are not manufactured with the highest security standards. There have been a lot of cases involving the breach of surveillance, cameras. But experts say if the users install the best state-of-the-art cameras and are more security conscious, these breaches will reduce considerably.
