A Russian website has been violating the privacy of thousands of individuals in the U.S. and other countries by hacking into their webcams and streaming the contents on the Internet.

More than 4,000 American cameras are listed on the website, along with 2,000 in France and 500 in the United Kingdom. In all, the site, which is in Russian but is registered in the Cocos Islands, has webcam footage from people in 152 nations.

Voyeurs can watch everything from babies in their cribs to college campuses to the insides of small businesses. The site also reveals the GPS location of each webcam along with links to a map, according to CBS News.

“The Russian website claims what they’re doing is entirely legal because they’ve hacked into cameras where the owners didn’t change the default password. They go so far as to claim their intent is to highlight poor user security. Essentially, it’s the victim’s own fault,” CBS News reported.

Those who use webcams are advised to change the password, particularly if they’re now using the system’s default password.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

Is Someone Spying on You Through Your Webcam? (CBS News)

Russian Website Streams Footage from Thousands of Hacked Webcams (by Amelia Smith, Newsweek)

4,500 Hacked U.S. Webcams Are Streaming On a Russian Website (by Simon Thomsen, Business Insider)

Private Webcam Images of Nearly 2 Million Global Yahoo Users Intercepted by British Spy Agency with NSA Help (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)