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'Peeping Tom' Russian hackers streaming stolen webcam scenes

Hackers are hijacking intimate scene from home webcams and streaming them live on a web site.

By Mary Papenfuss

MOSCOW, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Brazen Russian hackers are hijacking office and home computer webcams in 250 countries and streaming the private scenes live on a website, officials have revealed.

Footage from webcams in bedrooms, nurseries and in gyms are being shared with thousands of "peeping Toms" watching actions unfold without the knowledge of those being filmed by their own webcams.

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Among the dozens of countries listed on the site, the website features 4,591 feeds from the U.S., 2,058 from France, 584 from the U.K., as well as 563 from Hong Kong and 182 from China.

Officials in several countries are urging webcam owners to change their passwords to block access to the hackers.

"We have got to grow up about this sort of thing," said British Information Commissioner Christopher Graham. "These devices are very handy if you want to have remote access to make sure your child is OK, or the shop is all right, but everyone else can access that too unless you set a strong password."

The website has been operating for about a month, beginning in Hong Kong, then Australia and Canada.

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The site accesses cameras by using default login credentials, which are freely available online, for thousands of webcams. Footage is being collected from security cameras used by businesses and the public, including CCTV networks and cameras on baby monitors.

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