Hackers have reverse-engineered a Flock license-plate recognition camera system to uncover its unintended capabilities. The devices, designed to read vehicle license plates, are also capturing images of people and even American flag patches on saddlebags—mistaking them for license plates.
The investigation revealed that the camera’s software explicitly detects people as well as vehicles, license plates, and bicycles. In one instance, the detector cropped an American flag patch on a rider’s saddlebag as if it were a license plate.
Researchers found that a single Flock camera generated over a million images in several weeks of operation. The device uses a processor similar to that of a midrange smartphone, running applications for motion detection, image capture, and data transmission. Hackers accessed the system installed above a road, opened it up, and copied its internal data before sharing the findings with technology outlets.
