If you own a webcam, CCTV, or baby monitor with a video feed, you might want to stop what you are doing and read on. The United Kingdom is warning people from all over the globe about a Russian-based site that is broadcasting footage taken from webcams, baby monitors and CCTVs. The hackers were able to get into the system by either using default passwords or no log-in codes at all.

The site streams from more than 250 countries and other territories with its database showing a listing of 4,591 cameras in the U.S., 2,059 in France and 1,576 in the Netherlands. Other feeds were identified to have come from developing countries such as Nicaragua, Pakistan, Kenya, Paraguay and Zimbabwe.

In the U.K. alone, the site shows 500 feeds which includes an office in Warwickshire, a child’s bedroom in Birmingham, a home’s driveway in Nottinghamshire, a gym in Manchester, a pub in Salford, a shop interior in London, and many others.

Breached cameras

It has been identified that cameras from Linksys, Panasonic, and China-based Foscam were affected by the breach.

“In order to find exposed cameras, an attacker can simply use an online search engine,” Guillermo Lafuente, Security Consultant at MWR InfoSecurity, explained the issue in an interview.

“The main problem with CCTV cameras and webcams is that they often allow remote access by default, and are preconfigured with credentials which are easy to find online or to guess.”

Lafuente advises people to protect their cameras.

How to protect your webcams

Secure your network connection. Many of us use routers in our homes but only a few take the time to change the password from the default, which may be available on the Internet, to something that cannot be easily guessed. Try using a random password generator as these codes are harder to memorize and even harder to guess.

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Turn off SSID of your router. This prevents the name of your router from being broadcasted to anyone in range.

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If you are not using your camera, turn it off.

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Disable remote access to your cameras if you don’t need it. Leaving it open just entices hackers to see what you’re up to.

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Secure all devices, including mobile devices, that connect to your home router. Make sure you have updated security software for all computers, tablets and smartphones, as these devices can be used to gain access to other devices, such as stand-alone webcams, in your network.

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Cover your camera. This may sound ridiculous, but the safest way to prevent people from seeing what you’re doing is to cover up your webcam.

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Although the site broadcasting webcam feeds was publicly identified and is no longer online, SiliconANGLE chose to withhold the name of the site to protect the privacy of the people who have been hacked.