GoKawiilHackers Extract and Publish Data From a Stolen Flock Safety Camera
A group of hackers physically removed a Flock Safety license-plate camera, copied its internal storage, and recovered an encryption key that unlocked thousands of stored vehicle images. They shared the extracted files with 404 Media and WIRED, and separately with the transparency group Distributed Denial of Secrets, along with details of how they pulled off the extraction so others could replicate it.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The leaked files undercut Flock's claims about on-device encryption and show its cameras doing more than plate reading—identifying pedestrians, bicycles, and even bumper stickers—raising fresh privacy concerns about how much surveillance data these devices quietly generate. The incident also signals a shift from simple vandalism of Flock cameras toward technical exposure efforts meant to inform public debate and possibly inspire further hacks.
- Hackers copied a Flock camera's storage and recovered an encryption key, exposing internal system data.
- The device's software detects people, bicycles, and small identifying details like bumper stickers, not just license plates.
- The breach adds to a wider pattern of resistance against Flock cameras, including arrests for tampering and some towns reconsidering their use.
Source: wired.com — Dhruv Mehrotra, 2026-09-16
Published there as: “Hackers Got Inside a Flock Camera. Its Data Shows How the System Really Works”
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