Police License Plate Readers Found Exposed Online With Weak Security
Security researchers find over 150 police license plate readers connected to the internet with default passwords and weak protections, exposing sensitive driver data.
Police departments across the U.S. use thousands of automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras to track vehicles and monitor people's movements. These devices record massive amounts of sensitive data, revealing where individuals live, work, and travel. Civil rights groups consider this a form of mass surveillance that poses a significant threat to privacy.
Despite years of warnings from security researchers, many of these ALPR cameras remain connected to the internet with minimal protection. TechCrunch finds over 150 exposed devices from several manufacturers in just one week of searching. The majority of these cameras use default passwords that are openly documented in support guides, leaving them vulnerable to unauthorized access.
Experts express frustration that law enforcement agencies treat these surveillance systems as one-time purchases without investing in ongoing cybersecurity. The Electronic Frontier Foundation first exposed this issue in 2015, but little has changed in the years since. This ongoing negligence leaves highly sensitive location data freely accessible to anyone on the internet.