SECURITY cameras in Keighley are being live-streamed on the internet after hackers targeted webcams in local homes and businesses.

The site, based in Russia, includes three feeds from cameras in Keighley and one from Bradford. The Keighley cameras appear to show a business storeroom and doorway, while the Bradford one shows a driveway.

The Information Commissioner’s Office has urged people to upgrade their passwords after the website was found to be accessing cameras in everything from CCTV to baby monitors. It features live feeds from homes and businesses across the UK.

With an estimated 350,000 such cameras sold in the country last year, the ICO warned that those without password protection or with weak passwords could be vulnerable to hackers.

Simon Rice, ICO group manager for technology, said: “The website, which is based in Russia, accesses the information by using the default login credentials, which are freely available online, for thousands of cameras.

“The footage is being collected from security cameras used by businesses and members of the public, ranging from CCTV networks used to keep large premises secure, down to built-in cameras on baby monitors.

“This is a threat all of us need to be aware of and be taking action to protect against.”

“As a last resort, you can always cover the lens if you don’t want to use the camera all of the time.”

Information Commissioner Christopher Graham told the BBC there were 600 UK feeds and there are international efforts to tackle the site.

He added: “It’s spooky. They scan the internet and track down feeds.

“There are 600 in the UK and that is nothing – there are 5,000 in the States. We were alerted to it by our colleagues in Australia and Canada. It’s all over the place.”

He added that had the website been based in the UK it would be illegal, breaching the Data Protection Act, but said the issue needed a “global response”.

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