Creepy website is streaming Ireland’s unsecured webcams

7 Nov 2014

A website is streaming live feeds from thousands of unsecured webcams in homes and businesses around the world, more than 300 of which are in Ireland.

Insecam.com collates cameras that have no protection and can be accessed by anyone online. Outdoor and business surveillance systems are featured, though most alarmingly, webcams from within people’s homes are available to view on the site. Each camera’s location is also revealed via Google Maps.

According to the website’s homepage, the developers have accessed devices that currently operate with default passwords.

“Sometimes administrator (possible you too) forgets to change default password like ‘admin:admin’ or ‘admin:12345’ on security surveillance system, online camera or DVR,” they wrote. “Such online cameras are available for all internet users.”

Still from a Dublin-based webcam via Insecam

The website claims to have launched purely as a warning for those who have not put adequate security measures on their hardware.

“This site has been designed in order to show the importance of the security settings. To remove your public camera from this site and make it private the only thing you need to do is to change your camera password.”

More than 73,000 cameras are currently accessible.

Webcam image via Shutterstock

Dean Van Nguyen was a contributor to Silicon Republic

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