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Unsecured IP Cameras Accessible To Everyone

Orome1 writes "In the last couple of decades, we have become so accustomed to the idea that the public portion of our everyday life is watched and recorded — in stores, on the street, in institutions — that we often don't even notice the cameras anymore. Analog surveillance systems were difficult to hack into by people who lacked the adequate knowledge, but IP cameras — having their own IPs — can be quite easily physically located and their stream watched in real-time by anyone who has a modicum of computer knowledge and knows what to search for on Google."

146 comments

  1. Nice one by Peach+Rings · · Score: 5, Informative

    Good find 2002.

    1. Re:Nice one by the+linux+geek · · Score: 1

      Yeah, seriously. I think this even got a Slashdot article from around then.

    2. Re:Nice one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But this is NEW! You couldn't search on Bing for them back then.

    3. Re:Nice one by Solid+StaTe_1 · · Score: 5, Informative

      from 2005... but whatever. it's old news

      http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/01/09/1411242

      --
      Build a man a fire and you warm him for a day. Set a man on fire and you warm him for the rest of his life.
    4. Re:Nice one by PatPending · · Score: 5, Informative
      --
      What one fool can do, another can. (Ancient Simian Proverb)
    5. Re:Nice one by BobZee1 · · Score: 0

      i agree

      --
      dumber people are doing harder things everyday
    6. Re:Nice one by drunken-yeti · · Score: 0

      No doubt

    7. Re:Nice one by ehrichweiss · · Score: 1

      9/11/2001: I was working for a newspaper and since most of the usual communication lines were jammed, etc. I was put on the mission to find an open webcam in NYC. I found one on top of Empire State Building that gave us a fairly clear shot that we used for our piece on the subject. That was 2001 so this is ooooooold news..

      --
      0x09F911029D74E35BD84156C5635688C0
    8. Re:Nice one by goodmanj · · Score: 5, Informative

      Here's the deal though: if it's been six years and nobody's bothered to close these security holes --- and the searches still work, I just tried --- then *THAT* is news.

      Finding a security exploit is not big news. Leaving a security hole unfixed for six years *is* big news, especially if it's done by companies for whom "security" is literally their middle name.

    9. Re:Nice one by Dunbal · · Score: 2

      We found one on a passenger jet over NYC but that didn't turn out so well.

      --
      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
    10. Re:Nice one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You're doing it wrong. If you want to karma whore, you go through there and start posting the +5s. There's fuckin' room to move as a fry cook. I could be manager in two years. King. God.

    11. Re:Nice one by Local+ID10T · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Here's the deal though: if it's been six years and nobody's bothered to close these security holes --- and the searches still work, I just tried --- then *THAT* is news.

      Finding a security exploit is not big news. Leaving a security hole unfixed for six years *is* big news, especially if it's done by companies for whom "security" is literally their middle name.

      Who says its a security hole?

      Do I care if the entire world can look thru my camera? Does it in any way effect the operation of the camera or of the security system attached to it? No.

      Now if the camera is pointed at something I don't want the rest of the world to see... maybe I should have sprung for a system that at least requires a password...

      --
      "You want to know how to help your kids? Leave them the fuck alone." -George Carlin
    12. Re:Nice one by cusco · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Does it in any way effect the operation of the camera or of the security system attached to it?

      Actually it does. Most cameras have a limit of how many simultaneous connections are allowed. Exceed that limit and the owner might have to reboot the camera in order to access their own video feed. Bad news if that camera's looking at the door of your emergency room or your unmanned warehouse half a continent away.

      --
      "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
    13. Re:Nice one by camperdave · · Score: 1

      If it can supply a video feed, then perhaps a video feed can be supplied to it, overriding what the camera itself is sending. Loop in yesterday's stream a-la Speed and viola... trackless break-in opportunity.

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    14. Re:Nice one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Does it in any way effect the operation of the camera [...]?

      I was about to launch into the usual "effect vs. affect" routine, but that question does actually make sense the way it's framed. So: yes, it does effect the operation of the camera, especially those that can be moved remotely through the web interface.

    15. Re:Nice one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You don't need supply the camera with a video feed, you only need to corrupt it into being the man-in-the-middle for you so that it redirects feed request to your server instead of the camera's internal server.

      Remember that almost all of the cameras which you can find/see via a Google search are there because they are running an internal webserver to respond to feed requests and then remember the black hat presentation from some years back when they hacked an HP printer via security holes in the webserver and made it load and run their own software using the HP printer's java-clone VM (so that the printer would launch an attack on other computers inside the network). It may sound like an impossible plot device from a Hollywood movie, but these IP-camera vendors focus all of their security thoughts at the NVR side and mostly neglect the actual cameras.

    16. Re:Nice one by PatPending · · Score: 1

      I had bookmarked that post when I originally read it, so there was absolutely no need for me to "go through there" for any other reason than to contribute to this discussion. To presume otherwise is a reflection of your personal prejudice.

      --
      What one fool can do, another can. (Ancient Simian Proverb)
    17. Re:Nice one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are touchy. I think he was talking about running this old quote up the flag:

      Just an FYI, as someone who does this for a living, most leave their cameras at the factory default usernames and passwords. Try root, admin or Admin as usernames, and root, admin, pass, 1234, 12345 or just plain blank as passwords. Some of the manufacturers are getting a clue and requiring a password be created on first login in the newer firmware, but most of these bozos are just putting in the old factory default again.

    18. Re:Nice one by Peach+Rings · · Score: 3, Funny

      Me too, mine was even aimable with a little javascript control. Got a really good close up of the second tower.

    19. Re:Nice one by cbiltcliffe · · Score: 1

      No kidding.

      And now, the search is so full of SEO poisoning spam results, you can't actually find any cameras on the first few pages of results.

      --
      "City hall" in German is "Rathaus" Kinda explains a few things......
    20. Re:Nice one by PatPending · · Score: 1

      You are touchy.

      Touché

      --
      What one fool can do, another can. (Ancient Simian Proverb)
    21. Re:Nice one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If I know what the camera can see, I also know what it can't see.

    22. Re:Nice one by JSG · · Score: 1

      You have a five digit /. ID and you ask a stupid question like that?

      Presumably you were on the plonk, tired and emotional when you posted it.

      Surely you see that your comment implies you have a nearly infinitely fast internet connection ...

      Cheers
      Jon

    23. Re:Nice one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I know where I work its gotten far worse. We've been force to change systems in order to be compatible with others. While I've been trained by the manufacture, I'm no longer allowed to touch the system. I spent over six weeks trying to convince them to password protect the cameras (including configuration) but I know for a fact some still aren't and the iSCSI servers definitely aren't.

    24. Re:Nice one by soundguy · · Score: 1

      Build a man a fire and you warm him for a day. Set a man on fire and you warm him for the rest of his life.

      Way to mangle a classic there, Captain Shakespeare. It actually goes like this:

      Light a man a fire and he will be warm for a day, light a man afire and he will be warm for the rest of his life

      It's about subtlety

      --
      Nothing worthwhile ever happens before noon
    25. Re:Nice one by hairyfeet · · Score: 2

      But how many are gonna actually want to spend any time staring at these things? Most of us here have tried that VERY old trick and found out the insidious truth...that most of these things are about as exciting as watching paint dry. Just for the hell of it when I saw TFA I did the usual old tricks and out of 30 or so cams I checked out the most exciting thing I saw was a guy turn his snowmobile around in a parking lot. Woo hoo!

      Frankly there isn't a point in securing 99.999% of these things because they are just another boring connection. And for those that talk about "man in the middle attacks"? Oh please, you watch too much CSI. I have had to set a few cams up for businesses and what you catch on them is crackheads looking for anything that ain't nailed down, and as anyone who has ever encountered a crackhead knows they ain't exactly intelligent creatures. Hell most would be lucky to figure out how to even use a PC because their first instinct when handed one would be to pawn it.

      So lets not make this out to be some big failure of IT when its not. Cameras pointed at places that actually require security have security on the cams for the most part while all these cams you'll find on the net are ones like the cam watching Bob's tire hut to keep the crackheads from trying to steal the compressors. So if watching the parking lot of Bill's pawn shop excites you, hey who am I to judge, but it isn't like these things are a big secret or even need security. After all how many are gonna want to spend any time at all watching a gravel driveway or some fence?

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
  2. Also on Ars Technica by Max+Romantschuk · · Score: 4, Informative
    --
    .: Max Romantschuk :: http://max.romantschuk.fi/
    1. Re:Also on Ars Technica by RealGrouchy · · Score: 1

      Worth a read.

      Except for this inflammatory part:

      Although I was only watching the video [of a set of three red-light cameras that I pinpointed to an intersection in eastern Texas], the fact was that I had accessed a set of public security cameras that were left wide open for anyone to get in.

      Because he accessed the feed through the back door, he probably didn't see the welcome mat on the front door. Many jurisdictions put traffic cameras (which are not the same as 'security cameras') online intentionally so people can plan their commute for the day.

      Heck, over here the municipality has a Google Maps Mashup of their webcams for your viewing pleasure.

      - RG>

      --
      Hey pal, this isn't a pleasantforest, so don't waste my time with pleasantries!
    2. Re:Also on Ars Technica by NotAGoodNickname · · Score: 1

      red-light cams are not the same as traffic cams. Red light cameras are not generally available to the public.

  3. Suspect link? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Any reason the link in the summary should trigger an OpenDNS block for conficker or some other vulnerability/issue????

    1. Re:Suspect link? by Securityemo · · Score: 1

      Google Safe Browsing and PhishTank (operated by OpenDNS) lists it as clean...

      --
      Emotions! In your brain!
  4. This is so old. by Securityemo · · Score: 4, Informative

    And there's lots of other things you can find. Here are some lists: http://www.hackersforcharity.org/ghdb/

    --
    Emotions! In your brain!
  5. Re:I've hacked into... by JonySuede · · Score: 2

    so you like to hack into gay bar to watch penises, as they says : each to is own !

    --
    Jehovah be praised, Oracle was not selected
  6. And toast always drops butter side down by doperative · · Score: 1

    "Unsecured IP Cameras Accessible To Everyone"

    Well, doh, enable a good password and run them over SSH .. !!!

    1. Re:And toast always drops butter side down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      goooooolden baby!

    2. Re:And toast always drops butter side down by hedwards · · Score: 1

      I know you're joking, but they really shouldn't be used on a publicly accessible network. The building I was working at had analog ones which were on their own set up. I'm not sure why it would be such a deal to set up those IP cameras to use their own private network. Which they really should be anyways because if you care about it enough to point a camera at it, then you should care enough about it to not want other network use to affect it.

      It's like those idiots that use wireless cameras. They're easily snooped on and susceptible to interference.

  7. Old news is old. by mcmonkey · · Score: 1

    NPR had a story on using an iPhone app to surf surveillance cameras around the world.

  8. tons of cams are available. by Zurk · · Score: 5, Informative

    heres a long list copied from various parts of the web for searches you can try :

    allintitle: "Network Camera NetworkCamera" Network cameras
    intitle:Axis 2400 video server Mostly security cameras, car parks, colleges, clubs, bars, etc.
    intitle:axis intitle:"video server" Mostly security cameras, car parks, colleges, bars, ski slopes etc.
    intitle:"EvoCam" inurl:"webcam.html" Mostly European security cameras
    intitle:"Live NetSnap Cam-Server feed" Network cameras, private and non private web cameras
    intitle:"Live View / - AXIS" Mostly security cameras, car parks, colleges etc.
    intitle:"LiveView / - AXIS" | inurl:view/view.shtml Mostly security cameras, car parks, colleges etc.
    intitle:liveapplet Mostly security cameras, car parks, colleges, clubs, bars etc.
    intitle:snc-cs3 inurl:home/ Mostly security cameras, swimming pools and more etc.
    intitle:"snc-rz30 home" Mostly security cameras, shops, car parks
    intitle:snc-z20 inurl:home/ Mostly security cameras, swimming pools and more etc.
    intitle:"WJ-NT104 Main" Mostly security cameras, shops, car parks
    inurl:LvAppl intitle:liveapplet Mostly security cameras, car parks, colleges etc.
    inurl:indexFrame.shtml "Axis Video Server" Mostly security cameras, car parks, colleges etc.
    inurl:lvappl A huge list of webcams around the world, mostly security cameras, car parks, colleges etc.
    inurl:axis-cgi/jpg Mostly security cameras
    inurl:indexFrame.shtml Axis Mostly security cameras, car parks, colleges etc.
    inurl:"MultiCameraFrame?Mode=Motion" Mostly security cameras, pet shops, colleges etc.
    inurl:/view.shtml Mostly security cameras, car parks, colleges etc.
    inurl:/view/index.shtml Mostly security cameras, airports, car parks, back gardens, traffic cams etc.
    inurl:viewerframe?mode= Network cameras, mostly private webcams etc.
    inurl:"viewerframe?mode=motion" Network cameras
    inurl:ViewerFrame?Mode=Refresh Mostly security cameras, parks, bird tables etc.

    Other searches:
    control/userimage.html liveapplet inurl:indexframe.shtml inurl:"view/index.shtml" inurl:"view/indexFrame.shtml" inurl:view/view.shtml
    inurl:/view/view.shtml?videos= inurl:ViewerFrame?Mode= inurl:ViewerFrame?Mode=Motion inurl:ViewerFrame?Mode=Refresh site:.viewnetcam.com -www.viewnetcam.com /view/index.shtml

    In Title:
    intitle:"live view" intitle:axis
    intitle:"EvoCam" inurl:"webcam.html"
    intitle:"i-Catcher Console - Web Monitor"
    intitle:"Live NetSnap Cam-Server feed"
    allintitle:liveapplet
    intitle:liveapplet
    intitle:"netcam live image"
    intitle:"snc-rz30 home"
    intitle:"WJ-NT104 Main"

    In URL:
    inurl:axis-cgi/jpg
    inurl:indexFrame.shtml Axis
    inurl:indexFrame.shtml "Axis Video Server"
    inurl:lvappl live webcams
    inurl:LvAppl intitle:liveapplet
    inurl:"MultiCameraFrame?Mode=Motion"
    inurl:/view:shtml
    inurl:/view/index.shtml
    inurl:view/indexframe.shtml
    inurl:view/view.shtml
    viewerframe?mode=
    inurl:"viewerframe?mode=motion"
    inurl:ViewerFrame?Mode=Refresh

    Two searches in one order:
    intitle:"live view" intitle:axis (two searches in one order)
    intitle:axis intitle:"video server"
    intitle:liveapplet inurl:LvAppl
    intitle:"Live View / - AXIS" | inurl:view/view.shtml
    intitle:start inurl:cgistart

    Combination:
    camera linksys inurl:main.cgi
    Display Cameras intitle:"Express6 Live Image"
    intitle:"active webcam page"
    intitle:"EvoCam" inurl:"webcam.html"
    inurl:LvAppl intitle:liveapplet
    intitle:"Live View / - AXIS"
    intitle:liveapplet inurl:LvAppl
    intitle:"my webcamXP server!" inurl:":8080"
    intitle:"Network Camera" inurl:ViewerFrame
    intitle:snc-z20 inurl:home/
    intitle:snc-rz30 inurl:home/
    intitle:"toshiba network camera - User Login"
    intitle:"Live View / - AXIS" | inurl:view/view.shtml
    tilt intitle:"Live View / - AXIS" | inurl:view/view.shtml
    intitle:"WJ-NT104 Main Page"

    Sometimes your order gives hundreds of URLs. You can restrict your search by adding a country, a specialized URL or another mes

    1. Re:tons of cams are available. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Way to not understand inurl and intitle.

    2. Re:tons of cams are available. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      So which ones are the open live porn chat cams?

    3. Re:tons of cams are available. by cusco · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Just an FYI, as someone who does this for a living, most of our competition leaves their cameras at the factory default usernames and passwords. Try root, admin or Admin as usernames, and root, admin, pass, 1234, 12345 or just plain blank as passwords. Some of the manufacturers are getting a clue and requiring a password be created on first login in the newer firmware, but most of these bozos are just putting in the old factory default again.

      Glad I work for one of the few security companies that doesn't have its head up its collective ass. I'd really hate working for one of the Big Three.

      --
      "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
    4. Re:tons of cams are available. by Securityemo · · Score: 0

      You've got to be kidding.

      --
      Emotions! In your brain!
    5. Re:tons of cams are available. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Horrible practice, however I would imagine that many of these jobs are contract installs. If no one is around to create and keep the password I can understand how some installers would not change it as it then becomes their obligation to store the password. More of a headache, but as a security business this is laughable!

    6. Re:tons of cams are available. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I saw this years ago, and did a search for a few of those strings and already ne'er-do-wells were gaming the search results to push porn/crapware/rubbish. Much in the same way you will find a huge torrent of bullshit if you search for "Index of" "mp3" etc.

      The first time wasn't so bad, around 8-10 years ago, you'd find a few open cams, pan/tilt around and watch people milling about a university campus etc. Then I saw a story about it 2-3 years ago, tried it again and most of the search results were spam. Eventually you'll find something, but you have to work a bit harder and the results aren't that great. If you think you're going to find a security camera pointed into a girls dorm-room window then you'll be sorely disappointed :)

    7. Re:tons of cams are available. by h4rr4r · · Score: 1, Insightful

      For the most part these cameras are looking at parking lots and other boring crap, why secure it at all?

      Oh Noes the bad guys can look at our empty parking lot at night!

    8. Re:tons of cams are available. by Securityemo · · Score: 1

      And why would a computer security firm contract install webcameras? If it's one of those CCTV replacement systems I've read about (and not just webcameras existing for some other reason), wouldn't you get a package deal with remote monitoring and management from the "physical security" firm? Unless they bought one or rigged up one themselves and thought "oh, we'll handle it ourselves".

      But still, it sounds completely insane. I knew the IT security industry was full of crazy, but this is just surreal. Inside the actual offices, or just the "parking lot"/other such areas?

      --
      Emotions! In your brain!
    9. Re:tons of cams are available. by cusco · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      What amazes me are the IT staffers that actively avoid any knowledge or involvement with the same system that secures their server room and data closets. I had one fellow actually say, "I don't know anything about that server, and I don't want to know anything about that server." When I kept talking he learned that he had a Win2K SP2 system on their network with an unpatched SQL2000 database, no backup, no virus scan, and Internet access that auto-logged on as Administrator. We have to clean up crap like that left behind by our competition all the time (although that was admittedly the worst).

      --
      "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
    10. Re:tons of cams are available. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Shhh! Those are also the admin usernames and passwords used by every major ISP on installed network switches. With those you can intercept any IP traffic!!

      No. Actually I am not kidding you, only exageration is "every", it is actually only _most_ ISPs that use default.

    11. Re:tons of cams are available. by drpimp · · Score: 1

      How about a link to a database of the same and more ... Google Hacking Database

      --
      -- Brought to you by Carl's JR
    12. Re:tons of cams are available. by Dunbal · · Score: 1

      Ahh see, now looking in on an open webcam is one thing - with a good lawyer you probably wouldn't make it to court. Trying to break into one that is secured by a password (even a shitty password) is criminal pretty much everywhere.

      Where did you say you worked again? Failing that, who was the "competition"? I know that you know these are rhetorical questions, but if you DID get caught one day I'm sure you wouldn't be able to hide behind the "security researcher" excuse for long.

      --
      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
    13. Re:tons of cams are available. by Securityemo · · Score: 2

      I've never done this sort of work, but I suppose they operate on or have degenerated to the principle "if we just keep telling the management what they want to hear and don't expose too much incompetence in the IT staff we get paid with a minimum of fuzz, even if we could technically fix this"?

      How do you guys handle situations like that? Ever had any problems when actually telling the management/client? Or is it all cool and professional?

      --
      Emotions! In your brain!
    14. Re:tons of cams are available. by Frangible · · Score: 1

      These give too many bad links, or links to spam sites... the actual webcams are a minority of the results returned.

      But far be it from me to complain and not offer a better solution, so I give you:

      inurl:"/jpg/" | "/mjpg/" | "/axis-cgi/" ?inurl:"image.cgi" | "video.cgi" | "video.mjpg" filetype:mjpg | filetype:cgi

      Not perfect, but almost all the results returned are working cams, though it is limited to Axis cams.

    15. Re:tons of cams are available. by guruevi · · Score: 1

      But if you knew the username and password, couldn't you claim you were an authorized user - after all, you have a valid username and password.

      --
      Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
    16. Re:tons of cams are available. by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      heres a long list copied from various parts of the web for searches you can try :

      A friend of mine said that one of those cameras was in the bathroom of a super-model.

      I guess she must be an athlete because he said he saw her box.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    17. Re:tons of cams are available. by silverglade00 · · Score: 1

      you will find a huge torrent of bullshit if you search for "Index of" "mp3"

      To be fair, that's pretty much what the kiddies are wanting when they do that search.

    18. Re:tons of cams are available. by hedwards · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Because then they can figure out ways of obscuring themselves more effectively. Which is the problem, additionally you frequently run into dome cameras where you're not sure where exactly they're pointed. With practice you can see very quickly, but it's a bit of a risk.

    19. Re:tons of cams are available. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Remember many places has a policy of choosing the lowest bidder for any contract. This is especially true for government offices, the anti-government/anti-tax politicians demand it to minimize spending.

    20. Re:tons of cams are available. by WillDraven · · Score: 1

      Offhand I would say the primary concern would be that if the criminals know where the security cameras are looking then they would know where they aren't looking as well.

      --
      This is my sig. There are many like it but this one is mine.
    21. Re:tons of cams are available. by h4rr4r · · Score: 1

      You can figure that out by looking at the camera too.

    22. Re:tons of cams are available. by cusco · · Score: 2

      Essentially I tell my boss, and he talks to their boss. Normally we can do most of our own work on the end points without too much trouble (servers, cameras, access control panels, etc.), and I go out of my way to let them know that I'll be as flexible as they need and want to inconvenience them as little as possible. Works most of the time.

      Not always though. We have one customer where I just plain can't talk to the network admins directly because I inadvertantly showed them up as a clot of incompetent lazy-ass fuck-ups. I'm not terribly good dealing with those kinds of people, so this arrangement works better. The project manager can tell their PM "We need x-many IP addresses for that site by the first of next month" and we'll get them by the fourteenth.

      Note to self: When the network admins say "can't be done" don't point out in front of their boss's boss that you've already done it three other places and you're not even a CCNA.

      --
      "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
    23. Re:tons of cams are available. by WillDraven · · Score: 1

      You can tell how wide the field of view of a camera mounted 30 feet up is just by looking at it? I think it would be rather helpful when planning a robbery/murder/whatever to know exactly where the cameras are looking instead of having just a general idea. Plus getting this information online reduces your risk of being recognized from having cased the location in person.

      --
      This is my sig. There are many like it but this one is mine.
    24. Re:tons of cams are available. by dbIII · · Score: 2

      That often come down to "it was somebody else's incredibly stupid idea I argued against and when it breaks we can have something sensible". Childish but understandable. The responsible thing to do is have unauthorised backups for when such pet projects die instead of just ignoring them. Without a decent boss and a long history of trust in your workplace this can land you in deep shit if discovered, but the shit could be deeper if you don't do it, the pet project breaks and the owner of the pet project doesn't have a clue how to deal with it.
      Of course authorised backups are better but I'm talking about the sort of fuckups where office politics do not allow it. Then there's the "we have RAID5, doing backups is a waste of time" idiots. If you can't win that argument unauthorised backups might be the only way to save your job when the system dies and you are called on the carpet for not arguing hard enough for backups.
      When I say "unauthorised" I really mean going over the head of the people running the pet projects. It's important that someone towards the top of management knows where all the backups are in case of a disaster where the normal IT staff cannot physically get there. A manager that sleeps better at night knowing all vaguely important digital information has an offsite backup tends not to lash out like a cut snake when important systems die.

    25. Re:tons of cams are available. by LeonPierre · · Score: 1

      These are cameras. Not installed or maintained by IT staff.

      Few places have physical security as a function of their IT dept, although that trend is changing.

      --
      "If it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet"
    26. Re:tons of cams are available. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For the most part these cameras are looking at parking lots and other boring crap, why secure it at all?

      Oh Noes the bad guys can look at our empty parking lot at night!

      In regards to parking lots specifically, it will tell a potential thief, mugger, rapist, stalker what time the Security folks do their rounds, what kind of vehicles park there ($500 junkers or $100,000 luxury cars?), how often people leave their vehicles overnight, what time they show up/leave, the pattern of traffic and pedestrians in the area, etc.

      Or in others words, it allows potential criminals to "case" a location without exposing themselves to observation, as well as keeping them from being recorded on those very cameras while they do it.

    27. Re:tons of cams are available. by cusco · · Score: 1

      If it runs on their network we need to work with them. If it's installed on their servers we need their cooperation. If it's going to be backed up we need their assistance.

      Accounting isn't a function of the IT department, but those systems are maintained by the IT staff. The physical security systems are just one more thing that's being added to the mix.

      --
      "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
    28. Re:tons of cams are available. by cusco · · Score: 1

      My version of your 'unauthorized backup' is a scheduled SQL script that backs up to a flash drive hidden in the back of the server. That way when the controller corrupts the entire RAID array I can still recover the system. I only do it in places where I can't trust the IT staff, but it's already paid for itself twice.

      --
      "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
  9. Cameras Everywhere by NReitzel · · Score: 4, Interesting

    At the University where I work, there are cameras in all of the lobby areas and in many of the labs. They are publicly accessible, for the most part - non-port 22 but otherwise unsecured. However, because the University wants to be able to use the pictures in legal proceedings, all the camera areas are clearly marked with "Video Surveillance" stickers.

    I can't speak for anyone else, but it's not that hard to just not do funky things in these areas.

    Yes, it intrudes on my sphere, but I have no expectation of privacy at work, or on the street. If I want to do something private, I go somewhere private. It's not that much of a burden, at least to me.

    --

    Don't take life too seriously; it isn't permanent.

    1. Re:Cameras Everywhere by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A reasonable expectation of privacy on my slashdot? Heresy! You are supposed to make wild and exaggerated claims about how the man is imposing his perverse, voyeuristic habits on you in order to "protect the children."

    2. Re:Cameras Everywhere by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean like this - http://128.8.139.228/view/index.shtml
       
        Not sure which univ you are from, but this one is from University of Maryland.

    3. Re:Cameras Everywhere by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 1

      What are you, some sort of Religious prude? Come on, really get with the times. Not only are you supposed to do it public, you are supposed to use video cams and upload your exploits to PornTube or other video sharing sites. No judging going on there, as whatever you're into, you're not alone!

      Go on, be proud of who you are.

      --
      Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
    4. Re:Cameras Everywhere by Jah-Wren+Ryel · · Score: 2

      Yes, it intrudes on my sphere, but I have no expectation of privacy at work, or on the street. If I want to do something private, I go somewhere private. It's not that much of a burden, at least to me.

      What happens when cameras - and the databases behind them - become so pervasive that you can't go anywhere without a permanent record being made?
      Its one thing for some people on the street to see you walk to the corner drug store and buy a pack of condoms.
      Its an entirely different thing for that to be recorded and cross-indexed with everything else you've done outside of your home.

      --
      When information is power, privacy is freedom.
  10. Re:I've hacked into... by fridaynightsmoke · · Score: 3, Funny

    so you like to hack into gay bar to watch penises, as they says : each to is own !

    What a dick. If they find out, he's screwed.

    --
    This is a substitute for a clever sig that fits within the maximum number of characters.
  11. OLD.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Old news is old.

  12. Script Kiddies by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Isn't this the first thing that Script Kiddies learn, the so-called "Google Hacking"?

    1. Re:Script Kiddies by Securityemo · · Score: 1

      Yes.

      --
      Emotions! In your brain!
  13. If I remember correctly... by Haedrian · · Score: 1

    There was an article a while back about the US Army drones transmitting over an unsecure protocol and needing 50 dollar equipment to find out what they were scouting out.

  14. MIT Carpark by jd · · Score: 1

    This was available on the MBone as an IP camera before Google even existed.

    --
    It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
  15. Aggregator by symes · · Score: 5, Informative

    Someone has a whole list of open webcams: http://www.opentopia.com/hiddencam.php

    1. Re:Aggregator by iknowcss · · Score: 1

      That's pretty cool actually. There's a link to a camera at my university aggregated there!

      --
      Life is rarely fair. Cherish the moments when there is a right answer.
    2. Re:Aggregator by Raenex · · Score: 1

      The one labeled Argonne National Laboratory raises a security eyebrow.

  16. My local red light cameras by www.sorehands.com · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now all I need is to have the IP address of my local red light and speed cameras.

    Of course, I would never have any fun and do something like, changing the time, moving the camera, replacing drivers' faces with pictures of say, maybe Osama Bin Laden, Benjamin Franklin, or the president.

    1. Re:My local red light cameras by iammani · · Score: 1

      You would be charged with a felony and would spend 10+ years in prison for it.

    2. Re:My local red light cameras by jgagnon · · Score: 2

      Not if he hacked into it from your house. :p

      --
      Remember to maintain your supply of /facepalm oil to prevent chafing.
    3. Re:My local red light cameras by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I would hope not, citizen.

      --The Department of Homeland Security

    4. Re:My local red light cameras by ImprovOmega · · Score: 1

      If they're stupid enough to leave an unsecured camera with a public IP address out there for the world to access, then they're probably too stupid to have effective tracking software to figure out who you are and where you're doing it from.

    5. Re:My local red light cameras by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You would be charged with a felony and would spend 10+ years in prison for it.

      Doesn't make it any less funny........ crabby pants.

  17. I for one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...welcome our new security camera overlords.

  18. Um...how is this different then anything else? by Kenja · · Score: 1

    Unsecured X on the internet is accessible! This has been true since Arpnet and when you could dial an 800 number on your 300bps modem to access Telnet.

    --

    "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
  19. This is how it should be by korpique · · Score: 1

    If the streams were secured, there'd be a monopoly or oligopoly of the information thereof, paving way for police states. As long as it's publicly accessible (though it should be properly accounted and publicly listed) it's common knowledge to be leveraged by all. Want to check whether your friends are hanging at their usual place? Check it out from the live stream. Want to see how it's like to live on the other side of the world? Want to follow an uprising in Tunisia? Likewise.

    --
    I was the real korpiq until I woke up clowned.
    1. Re:This is how it should be by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So you've made sure to install an unsecured IP camera in your house, right?

    2. Re:This is how it should be by metrometro · · Score: 1

      Yes. The inequality of information access is usually why we worry about privacy. We are quite comfortable operating in public places. It's the selective and unaccountable use of information about us that freaks people out.

      Information that is truly public isn't nearly as scary as information which is selectively used by people working in secret. Most corporations, of course, prefer that the data you turn over remains entirely private. And we have no corresponding view into the corporation's inner workings (Facebook, News Corp, etc). This sucks.

      I suspect that the growth of public feeds (video or otherwise) will grow and expand, but unequally. The rich will continue to live and work in opaque, gated communities while those who use public services (like a subway) will be living fully in the public view and permanent, searchable memory.

      If you worry about privacy, fight for transparency into institutions of power. Only then will they make fine tuning the boundaries between public and private life a priority.

    3. Re:This is how it should be by SuricouRaven · · Score: 1

      The annoying thing is that if someone just looked at one of these publicly accessible, unauthenticated streams they coud potentially be charged for computer misuse or whatever else their jurisdiction's generic 'hacking' offense is. There really needs to be some higher bar on those laws sometimes.

    4. Re:This is how it should be by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      By this logic it's not stealing if you left house unlocked by mistake or if you left your car unlocked by mistake and someone steals your stereo or the car itself. Just because these people make the mistake of leaving this stuff open does not in anyway imply that it was meant to be public.

    5. Re:This is how it should be by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Stealing involves TAKING SOMEONE'S PROPERTY -- which is inherently and directly harmful, whether you had to pick a lock or not.
      (This is also why copyright infringement isn't theft, but maybe you're one of the three people on slashdot who troll by promoting imaginary property rights all day.)

      Then there's truly victimless "crimes", that cause neither direct nor indirect harm to others, which most of us can agree shouldn't be illegal to start with. (And the rest of you can DIAF, moralizing asshats.)

      Accessing someone else's webcam does NOT involve taking anything of theirs* -- but at least in some cases, it clearly represents an indirect harm; it belongs to a class of crimes with real, but indirect, harm, and should be illegal, but unlike direct harm, there's considerable room for doubt

      * "But you're stealing my bandwidth!" is not entirely without basis, but transit is not an object, it's a phenomenon that occurs when two objects are connected, and it's not at all clear how it should be treated legally. However, IMO, the combination of minor bandwidth involved here and the fact that they've deliberately set up an internet-accessible server makes it not worth considering, though there's room for disagreement here.

    6. Re:This is how it should be by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      *facepalm* Apparently you are too dumb to realize what I was saying. The point is that just because someone mistakenly leaves something open does not imply that it is meant to be publicly available and thus is why you can still get in trouble with computer laws against unauthorized access. The same way that it is still a crime if someone robs your house even if you happened to have left it unlocked.

  20. Red-light cameras? by ayjay29 · · Score: 1

    >>He also managed to access three red-light cameras in a town in Texas, and while he didn't change any settings, he could have.

    Oh, that kind of red-light, shame....

    --
    Offtopic, Inflammatory, Inappropriate, Illegal, or Offensive comments might be moderated up.
  21. Re:I've hacked into... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    so you like to hack into gay bar to watch penises, as they says : each to is own !

    What a dick. If they find out, he's screwed.

    Once you got the hang of it, you'll be a happy cork soaker!

  22. Ayup. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This was one of the first things I saw on slashdot, probably more than ten years ago. The reason this hasn't changed is that very few security vendors actually care much about security.

    Full disclosure: I work for one of these companies. I'm not saying which, so that this doesn't become an advertisement. That said, ours don't have this problem.

    This is a brand-by-brand thing. Just pay attention to who's vulnerable, and cross them off your vendor list.

    1. Re:Ayup. by cusco · · Score: 1

      And stay away from the low-bid vendors when dealing with security - they're coming in with the lowest price for a reason. My employer will always lose on a price-only proposal. The customer frequently ends up spending more to have us or AC come in and clean up the mess left behind. Three times in the last two months I've had a new customer tell me that the first thing they want me to do, before anything else, is remove Company-X (one of the Big Three) from their system.

      --
      "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
  23. where is the google mashup? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    In 2011 I would expect to see a mashup showing a map with all the locations of the IP addresses that allows you to click and view

  24. OH CRAP!!! by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 1

    Next thing you know, NCIS and CSI:Whatever will be true!

    --
    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
  25. Re:uh, so.... nothing to see here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Weird how even not reading names I can tell it's one of your sock puppets. You need to develop a better trolling technique. You're not as amusing as the GNAA or trying to hide goatse into everything and that's saying something.

    you're completely pathetic.
    you're an ignorant hypocrite.
    you're an idiot.
    MichaelKristopeit402 = stagnated.

  26. Re:I've hacked into... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So what you're saying is that their gay bathhouse has an ultra-high definition camera?

  27. Apparently spammers have caught on to this by rudy_wayne · · Score: 1

    I found many online cameras 3-4 years ago, but things seem to have changed. For example, the Ars Technica article, referenced earlier, says "Change the search to “intitle: ‘Live View / - AXIS 206M,’” though, and Google returns 3 pages of links to 206Ms that are online and viewable." But when I try this, I only get spam websites and articles telling you "how to use Google to find online cameras".

  28. Like anyone cares by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    Why would the camera owners care? Mostly they are just there for surveillance. They don't care who is watching or they would not have a camera.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Like anyone cares by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I used to work security at a high rise, and access to the security cameras is an easy way to case the joint before robbing it. I'm sure the bank robber that tried to hit up the bank branch would loved to have had access to the feeds for the cameras covering that portion of the building.

      Just because it's surveillance doesn't mean that it's OK for the general public to look at. They become a liability when the general public has access to them without a subpoena.

    2. Re:Like anyone cares by PPH · · Score: 1

      I'd like the feeds from the cameras in the local strip club. They're there to document the vice cops pressuring the dancers for blow jobs and whatnot. Should be fun to watch.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
  29. I'd like to pass a law by multiplexo · · Score: 1

    that says that if a government is installing security cameras in a public location that the feeds from those cameras have to be publicly accessible, via the web, and no getting around this by hiring a contractor to install a camera and then claiming that the feed is private. This wouldn't be a total solution to the problem of stupid bureaucrats indulging paranoid morons by installing cameras everywhere, but it would slow things down and it would reduce the asymmetry of information between the government and the people it is supposed to serve.

    --
    cheap labor conservatives - they want to keep you hungry enough to be thankful for minimum wage.
    1. Re:I'd like to pass a law by cusco · · Score: 1

      So what do you suggest when 500 people are all trying to access the camera at the Park & Ride where the was a suicide and the camera only allows 20 connections? Will the police and security guards just have to wait their turn, hitting Refresh until they get lucky? How are you going to keep the script kiddies out of the admin settings? Is bandwidth free on your planet? Sorry, but that post just has 'BAD IDEA' written all over it.

      --
      "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
    2. Re:I'd like to pass a law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So what do you suggest when 500 people are all trying to access the camera at the Park & Ride

      Well that would be a privately operated camera so those rules wouldn't apply.

      But to answer your question, you don't give them all direct access to the camera itself, you send the feed to the website which only requires one connection, and then the website can handle logins (you're generally required to identifiy yourself when requesting public records) and load balancing, access to the cameras, reserve some priority connections for emergency/law enforcement (who would be able to view it from the back end of the site regardless if they needed to).

      Or in other words, your objections are minor technical issues which can be overcome relatively easily.

    3. Re:I'd like to pass a law by cusco · · Score: 1

      They can be overcome relatively easily by the customer's IT staff, but IT doesn't want anything to do with these systems and we, the security contractor, don't have the access to their network and servers to set it up. You have no idea how much resistance we run into just putting a simple access control system on the network, much less a camera system, and we're supposed to also get them to create/maintain a web site to that equipment? In your dreams.

      --
      "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
  30. ChumbySpy has been around for years by kriston · · Score: 1

    This is news?
    ChumbySpy and SurveillanceSaver have been around for years.

    http://www.chumby.com/guide/widget/ChumbySpy

    --

    Kriston

    1. Re:ChumbySpy has been around for years by Memophage · · Score: 1

      I had the OSX version of surveillancesaver installed on my mac, but when I upgraded to Snow Leopard it quit working. Found out it was written in Quartz, so I re-compiled it with the new version, and got it working again.

      Then I found out that the guys who wrote the original went on to found the Public Viewpoint Project, which searches for publicly available webcams and creates an RSS feed. I can't find their web site anymore, but the RSS feed is still up. I added to the screen saver the ability to connect to their RSS feed, d/l camera URLs and test them out before showing them.

      I recently created a Google Code space for it, it's available here: http://code.google.com/p/surveillancesaverosx [google.com]

      It still has some bugs, if there are any "expert" Quartz developers out there, I'd love to get some pointers.

  31. Too simple to avoid this problem by davidwr · · Score: 1

    Why would anyone do this when it's so simple not to?

    Besides the obvious issue of choosing good passwords, why would anyone use public IP addresses or for that matter even the "common" private IP address for security devices?

    Ideally, you'd have them on an isolated network which MIGHT be joined to the corporate WAN by a dual-homed control/recording station but that might not be possible for a variety of reasons.

    Less than ideal is running them on a separate IP address space so they weren't "visible" to other computers on the LAN unless the user or virus-infected computer were smart enough to change its network to match that of the camera or do some other non-standard tricks.

    In any case, your internal LAN computers and your security hardware should all be behind a firewall anyways, inaccessible from outside except in ways you define.

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
    1. Re:Too simple to avoid this problem by HikingStick · · Score: 1

      The president where I work has been hounding my tail to get IP cameras in the building. He doesn't want them isolated to our internal LAN. He wants them to have a public IP address so he can connect to them from any browser in the world. He wants to be able to peek in and see what is going on at any hour of the day.

      --
      I use irony whenever I can, but my shirts are still wrinkled...
    2. Re:Too simple to avoid this problem by cusco · · Score: 1

      We (security companies) have to use the addresses that our client's network admin gives us. If they're stupid we end up putting it on a subnet that's accessable from outside (how is it that so many terminally stupid people have CCIE after their name?) If they're stupid and cheap we may even have to put them on the Internet without even a VPN tunnel. If that happens we at least use an alternate port number, but most of our competition isn't that bright.

      Our preference is a completely private network, or at least a private VLAN, for the security stuff but in the end we can only go with what the customer's IT staff permits us.

      --
      "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
    3. Re:Too simple to avoid this problem by cusco · · Score: 1

      Go with Axis cameras and set up NAT Transversal. Pretty easy to do and unless someone knows which port to use (configurable) they won't be able to get at the cameras at all. Then make sure that Anonymous Viewing is turned off and give him a View Only login and password. We have a customer with a very rural facility that he sublets space in. His customers need to be able to see weather conditions before they try to send people out to the site, so they can put in the address of his DSL router with the port number and log into the camera.

      Axis cameras are a bit pricey, but worth the extra cost.

      --
      "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
  32. Re:I've hacked into... by ilsaloving · · Score: 1

    Don't be such a cheapskate. Pay the bathhouse admission fee like everyone else if you want to make use of the... er.... facilities.

  33. At the very least firewall the puppies by davidwr · · Score: 1

    Tell him he can have what he wants if he antes up for a dedicated VPN or equivalent "front end login" that doesn't expose the cameras or the control computer directly to the Interweb.

    You might also gain some traction if your state or country's employment laws would put the company or its officers at risk for violating employee privacy if they put the cameras on the web without adequate security. Heck, if the lawyer says doing this puts YOU at risk then that's the ultimate trump card.

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
  34. useless by hesaigo999ca · · Score: 1

    So what if they are on google, most are empty until action happens, and the timing needed to be on at the same time action happens, is too small to even bother...unless it was inside a shower, then you pay per view....however, a camera set up outside someones home to log each entry into a house is pretty wasteful to watch...who cares if you can see what they see....as long as you cant reconfigure it,...

  35. SurveillanceSaverOSX by Memophage · · Score: 1

    A while back I ran across the SurveillanceSaver project - a simple screen saver which contained a small list of webcams it would cycle through. I had the OSX version installed on my mac, but when I upgraded to Snow Leopard it quit working. Found out it was written in Quartz, so I re-compiled it with the new version, and got it working again.

    Then I found out that the guys who wrote it went on to found the Public Viewpoint Project, which searches for publicly available webcams and creates an RSS feed. I can't find their web site anymore, but the RSS feed is still up. I added to their screen saver the ability to connect to their RSS feed, d/l camera URLs and test them out before showing them.

    I recently created a Google Code space for it, it's available here: http://code.google.com/p/surveillancesaverosx

    It still has some bugs, if there are any "expert" Quartz developers out there, I'd love to get some pointers.

  36. There's an app for that! by gravis777 · · Score: 1

    http://livecams-iphone.com/

    There are others, but I have found this one to be the best

  37. Old news by HomelessInLaJolla · · Score: 2

    Since I first arrived in La Jolla, CA (92037) and noticed the little black domes darn near everywhere I theorized that, whether or not different subcontractors manage the security contract for any individual location, there is some overseer--either official or sitting on a network intersection--who has access to all of them. They probably have a FPS/MMORPG type interface which they are able to use to follow any particular person around should any particular person happen to catch their special interest. Given that there is such a large number of retired, semi-retired, lucratively employed-at-home, or otherwise fantastically wealthy with nothing else to do, people in this area it does not strike me as at all odd that I rarely have more than five seconds of peace in any location before people begin arriving to poke their noses or just hover around. What would it take? One fantastically wealthy person with a security clearance, fifty or one hundred people (as few as fifteen would probably do) employed underneath them, and rotating access to rental cars/used car lots to keep up a decent ruse? Combine that with the local residents and office dwellers who could be recruited to "call us any time you see one of these people" (mostly homeless).

    On many occasions it just seemed to be all too coincidental that as I headed from point A to point B that there were people at point B just waiting for me. Coincidence, sometimes; coincidence, sometimes; coincidence, sometimes... but after five years it cannot possibly be random cosmological coincidence _ALL_ of the time.

    Imagining a society of harassment is not at all difficult. Since the wealth distribution is so ridiculously skewed and since those who have the wealth have had a demonstrated interest in maintaining their artificial superiority since the book of Genesis ("There's going to be a famine in the land... You should do what we tell you to do") it is hardly unreasonable to expect that the wealthy will devote some portion of their time and effort to following and sabotaging any of the financially enslaved who happen to challenge their superiority. Now we have near complete camera coverage of entire cities to assist that.

    Go ahead. Tell me that the fantastically wealthy, having such resources available to them (legally, illegally, with or without the owner's knowledge... hardly a consideration for the people who sign your paychecks, the paychecks of the politicians, the paychecks of the judges, etc.), would not use them.

    --
    the NPG electrode was replaced with carbon blac
    1. Re:Old news by jafiwam · · Score: 2

      Jared Lee Loughner? Welcome to Slashdot. They gave you access to the net?

  38. Senior Seminar Project by yup2000 · · Score: 1

    My senior seminar project as a CS undergrad (2005) was the creation of a motion sensing surveillance system. Part of the demonstration I did during the presentation was to show how my software could monitor cameras from around the world for motion. In many cases I had no idea where the cameras were physically located. Later as part of my Masters thesis (2010), I extended the software to include face recognition... now it can identify "John Doe" and you can have it tell you when it see's specific people in a specific scene (white lists, black lists and reports on who has been seen).

    I've always thought that combining the face recognition and motion sensing features with a library of pictures harvested from Facebook and LinkedIn would result in something very interesting from many points of view...

  39. Re:I've hacked into... by md65536 · · Score: 1

    so you like to hack into gay bar to watch penises, as they says : each to is own !

    Has grandparent looked into a job with TSA? I heard it's an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord for the eyes of penus, all day just PENUS PENUS PENUS PENUS PENUS PENUS and they actually pay you for it!

  40. City Denies Citizen Access Over Webcam Use by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 2

    My city has several cameras around the city available for access at the city's taxpayer-funded website. I decided to use them once to create some time-lapse video of the wax and wane of winter weather. One day, suddenly I couldn't access the cams anymore. Or the entire website. They unilaterally decided that I was using too much of their bandwidth and dropped my IP into a configuration file to disable my access, expecting me to go to them to get my access reinstated. Of course, all information on how to contact them was on their now-restricted website.

    The amount of data transferred was less than 1 DVD a month. It wasn't that the usage was excessive; it was that my usage was an identifiable spike. But instead of limiting how often you can pull frames from the cameras (I used 1 every 30 seconds, sub-SD resolution, in greyscale, but from every camera), they instead decided to lock me out. (They also say they don't retain the video they record.)

    Unfortunately, since I was grabbing these still images using my machine at work, and others at work were just monitoring the cameras in preparation for travel home, they saw it as coming from multiple IPs in the same subnet and blocked the company's entire IP range, which became a problem when the head of HR was needing to do background checks on some potential new hires on the city website.

    Now if I want to do time-lapse videos of traffic cams again, I'm going to have to do it from home and through Tor so they can't identify one IP block. Even though there's some nice snowfall patterns recently, it just isn't worth the effort/hassle to satisfy my creative curiosity now.

    --
    Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
    1. Re:City Denies Citizen Access Over Webcam Use by Five+Bucks! · · Score: 1

      Neat idea!

      We do a similar thing with a few remotely located cameras. In this case, it's a webcam aimed at a river with a proposed hydroelectric development. The purpose of the camera is for ice monitoring. It takes photos hourly and is connected via satellite modem.

      http://www.env.gov.nl.ca/wrmd/ADRS/v6/Template_Grizzle_Rapids.asp?station=03OE013
      Located at: 52.97583, -61.46858

      --
      52 52'23" W 47 32'07" N
  41. Transparent Society & The Light of Other Days by Paul+Fernhout · · Score: 1
    --
    A 21st century issue: the irony of technologies of abundance in the hands of those still thinking in terms of scarcity.
  42. Domino's Australia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Funny this comes up, Domino's Australia (the pizza place) IP camera systems for every single individual store nationwide has been world accessible, and default user/password accessible for the last several years on port 8080.

    All you need to do is figure out the IP address they use, and you're in - no password, no login, not nothing!!

    I stumbled upon this a few years ago running a port scan on my frame routed IP range for our business connection and got the subnet wrong on nmap and stumbled literally hundred's of cameras, including my own local Domino's store!

    But what do you do? I e-mailed them, no response. Called their head office, and no-one seemed to care.

  43. Re:Transparent Society & The Light of Other Da by dbIII · · Score: 1

    Add the web anime from a few years back "Platonic Chain" to the list. Scary teenagers abusing a security database and network of cameras for their own ends.

  44. I've found one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    County shooting range. Occasionally reserved for the local, state, federal law enforcement, including undercover agents for periodic target practice, requalification, etc. Nice security camera setup.

    I'm not saying where. If you stupid cops need to keep your undercover people unknown, go get your own damned range and quit bogarting ours.

  45. Come watch my stream by sharkey · · Score: 1

    Hack my toilet cam, come on!

    --

    --
    "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
  46. Re:uh, so.... nothing to see here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm afraid you're going to repeatedly attempt to make love to my mouth and asshole.

  47. Some cameras don't need a password even when told by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I tried an abus camera once and it supports rtsp on that standard port for this protocol. However, it also supports streaming on this port with MJPEG and http. The difference is however that if you connect with http to this port it will stream and ignore all of the settings that require a password, hence you don't need a password. I've tried contacting them about this but they wouldn't return the E-mails to a gave up.

  48. Google Hacking book by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wasn't this in that Google Hacking book however many years ago? I know slashdot's usually a bit behind but I thought that was 5 or 6 years ago.

    1. Re:Google Hacking book by WorBlux · · Score: 1

      Ya, I don't know, but I figured this one out on my own my freshman year of college. Pinged all the common ports on the the addresses of the /24 subnet I was on at the time. and found the security camera for the computer lab in the basement. The then pinged port 80 the /16 and found 24 or so security cameras across campus.

  49. Re:uh, so.... nothing to see here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can we start a list of Slashdot posters with obvious personality disorders? This guy belongs at the top!

    (posting AC because I'd probably be on the list too ;))

  50. Re:uh, so.... nothing to see here? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Michael Kristopeit?

    I main as Michael Kristopeit in Street Fighter II. His sockpuppet move is devastating! Here are some of his win quotes:

    "Ur Mum's face did XXXX"

    "Why do you cower?"

    "You're completely pathetic"

    "Go home and be a family man!"