Hackers access live feeds of 150,000 security cameras inside Tesla, schools, hospitals and prisons, reports say
Group behind breach say it was done to prove how easily Verkada’s cameras could be accessed
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Hackers cracked a huge trove of data collected by a Silicon Valley startup and got access to live feeds of 150,000 security cameras inside Tesla, schools, hospitals and prisons, reports say.
The hacking group breached Verkada Inc. to get access to the feeds, which also included police stations, women’s health clinics, psychiatric hospitals, gyms, and the startup itself, according to Bloomberg.
The hackers also say they have accessed the full video archive of all Verkada customers.
Tillie Kottmann, one of the members of the international hacker collective that breached the company, the hack was done to show how widespread Verkada’s security cameras are and how easily they can be hacked.
“It’s just wild how I can just see the things we always knew are happening, but we never got to see,” said Tillie Kottmann.
The group hacked their way in using an administrator’s password that they reportedly found on the Internet.
The hack let the group access 222 cameras in factories and warehouses used by Elon Musk’s Tesla electric car company.
This also included accessing footage of workers at a Tesla production line in the company’s Shanghai, China.
Another feed showed the hackers police in Stoughton, Massachusetts, interrogating a man in handcuffs.
They also got into the 333 cameras set up in Madison County Jail in Huntsville, Alabama, and the 17 cameras installed at Graham County detention center in Arizona.
And they also accessed the security video feeds from the re-built Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
“We have disabled all internal administrator accounts to prevent any unauthorised access. Our internal security team and external security firm are investigating the scale and scope of this issue, and we have notified law enforcement,” a Verkada spokesperson told The Independent in a statement.
The hacking group said they lost access to the feeds when Bloomberg contacted Verkada.
On its website, Verkada touts its services by saying, “we’re making security as seamless and modern as the organizations we protect.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments