GoKawiilSecurity researchers extract encryption key and footage after removing physical Flock ALPR camera
A hacker group calling itself stegan0gram physically removed a Flock license-plate-reading camera from a roadway pole, reverse-engineered its solar-powered hardware, and copied its storage. Inside, they found unencrypted partitions containing an encryption key that unlocked a trove of 27,321 short video clips and roughly 1.6 million images capturing over 50,200 vehicles across a 21-day logging period. The findings, examined jointly by 404 Media and Wired, showed the device also occasionally detected people on motorcycles, though no active facial recognition was found.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The incident highlights how physical access to a single roadside device can expose sensitive surveillance infrastructure, undermining assumptions that data collected by automated license plate readers is securely siloed. It adds to mounting criticism of Flock's camera network, which has already prompted several cities to reconsider or drop contracts over privacy and security concerns.
- Hackers physically removed a Flock camera and extracted an unencrypted key granting access to stored footage.
- The device had logged 1.6 million images of over 50,200 vehicles in about 21 days.
- The breach raises fresh doubts about the security of Flock's widely deployed license-plate-reading network.
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Published there as: “Hackers stole a Flock camera and found 27,321 video clips, 1.6 million images, and an encryption key”
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