Verkada facial recognition camera hack prompts security, ethics concerns

Hackers breached facial recognition camera company Verkada, prompting concerns about its security, privacy, transparency and integrity.

Carried out by a hacker collective which aimed to show the pervasiveness of video surveillance and the ease with which systems could be broken into, the breach involved gaining access to Verkada through a 'Super Admin' account, thereby allowing the hackers to view the cameras of all of its customers.

The hackers gained access to live and archived footage of over 150,000 cameras inside the firm's customers facilities across the world, including Tesla factories, hospitals, schools, police stations, as well as those in its own offices.

The hackers also acquired a customer list containing over 24,000 unique organisations.

The incident prompted investigations by authorities, including the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and US Department of Justice, into Verkada's security practices and marketing claims.