Hackers find huge security flaw in Flocks surveillance cameras and extract
1.6 million images and 27,000 videos from just one device and the companys terrible reputation means many employees are looking to jump ship

Date:
Mon, 21 Sep 2026 16:35:25 +0000

Description:
Hackers have found millions of images and thousands of videos stored on a Flock camera.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Hackers took down a Flock
camera and extracted a copy of its storage drive There, they were able to acess 1.6 million images and 27,000 videos taken over 21 days, despite claims that the encryption system should prevent this Morale is reportedly so low at Flock that many workers are ready to quit Another day, another Flock controversy . As if things couldnt get any worse for the embattled maker of automatic license plate recognition (ANPR) cameras, hackers have just managed to extract 1.6 million images and 27,000 video clips from one of its systems something Flock has previously claimed should be impossible.

According to a report from 404 Media , members of a hacker collective named stegan0gram took down a Flock camera and managed to make a near-complete copy of its stored data. When they did that, they found a treasure trove of privacy-compromising information and shared it with both 404 Media and the Distributed Denial of Secrets nonprofit, who then sent it on to Wired .
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The report from 404 Media identified around 50,200 vehicles in Flocks media files. The storage contained approximately 1.6 million images and more than 27,000 video clips taken over the course of 21 days. Older logs were either overwritten or inaccessible.

Perhaps more concerning, Flocks cameras were able to detect people as well as vehicles and license plates, raising serious questions about how well the privacy of innocent members of the public is being protected. That said, 404 Media found no evidence of any kind of facial recognition being put to use. You may like Hackers just extracted a scary amount of data from a downed
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The hackers said that they discovered two partitions when they accessed the Flock cameras Android operating system . Inside one labeled media, they found a decryption key that unlocked a storage area housing the vast collection of images and video clips.

That all goes against public statements from Flock. The company has
previously claimed that images and videos are only briefly stored on the device after being sent to Flocks servers, and that no decryption keys were stored on the devices. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
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But with the hackers discovering stored media going back many weeks, plus the means to decrypt it, it appears that Flocks statement might be inaccurate.
The writing is on the wall (Image credit: Getty Images) As you can probably imagine given the near-constant barrage of negative press Flock has been facing in recent weeks, its own employees are reportedly starting to feel the strain. And with morale through the floor, many are seeking to leave the company.

Wired has reported that Flock recently opened up a voluntary separation program for employees that would offer a generous severance package to anyone who seeks a way out of the firm. The scheme is open until October 2, with decisions being announced on October 9. What to read next LAPD cites privacy concerns as it drops Flock surveillance cameras Flock's AI search tool for police officers has been reverse engineered Both Florida and Texas are
cutting back on Flock camera coverage

And according to people familiar with the program but not authorized to discuss it publicly cited by Wired, morale is so low at Flock that a significant number of the startups roughly 1,500 employees may try to depart.

That backs up comments from Flocks own CEO, who said on the All-In podcast in August that internal moral has been the biggest casualty amid escalating hostility to the companys devices.

For many Flock workers, the severance offer is likely to come at a good time. As one apparently disgruntled employee told Wired, When you see enough of the vandalism [aimed at Flock cameras], you know the writing is on the wall. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/tech/hackers-find-huge-security-flaw-in-flocks-surve illance-cameras-and-extract-1-6-million-images-and-27-000-videos-from-just-one -device-and-the-companys-terrible-reputation-means-many-employees-are-looking- to-jump-ship


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