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A Flock Safety security camera was hacked by a hacker group named stegan0gram. The group removed the camera, which was installed above a roadway, and extracted a substantial amount of data from the device. Notably, the hackers copied the data and sent it to 404 Media and WIRED through the transparency organization Distributed Denial of Secrets.
Interestingly, these two organizations reviewed the images and footage and found that the single camera captured about 1.6 million images of 50,200 vehicles in just 21 days. Most vehicles appeared in around 28 images. Some were captured more than 100 times.
The files also showed what the camera could see. It could capture vehicles, people, bicycles, and license plates. The camera took several pictures when something entered its view. It then picked useful images and sent them to Flock's servers through a cellular connection. The camera itself did not appear to work out details such as a vehicle's make, model or color. That task was handled on the company's servers.
The data gives a rare look at how much information one roadside camera can produce. The logs also contained more than 27,000 errors saying there was no space left on the device. The system also recorded crashes and restarts.
The testing found some limits too. The system could sometimes mistake bumper stickers and other graphics for license plates. The findings show how much data can build up on a single camera in a short time.
The incident also raises questions about how cameras protect data stored inside them. Flock mentioned that its cameras use encryption. The hackers claimed they found an encryption key stored on the device, which helped them access a large amount of media.
Flock said removing or tampering with its cameras without permission is illegal. The company also pointed to its process for reporting security flaws.
The breach shows why connected cameras need protection beyond their software. Physical access, stored keys, and device security can all matter when a camera holds millions of images.
