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Tesla factory cameras breached by hackers, report says

The hack carried out against a third-party company called Verkada reportedly also affected schools, jails, police departments and hospitals.

Kyle Hyatt Former news and features editor
Kyle Hyatt (he/him/his) hails originally from the Pacific Northwest, but has long called Los Angeles home. He's had a lifelong obsession with cars and motorcycles (both old and new).
Kyle Hyatt
Tesla Fremont factory

Tesla factories and warehouses were among the facilities affected by a recent hack.

Tesla

Information security -- aka infosec -- is a big deal. It's crucial for large companies like , and it's also incredibly difficult to protect against hackers as techniques get more sophisticated or as you're forced to rely on third-party companies.

It's one of those third-party companies that has Tesla in a tizzy right now because, according to a report published Tuesday by Bloomberg, a software breach in a company called Verkada has exposed footage from hundreds of cameras in Tesla factories and warehouses all over the world.

The vulnerability was reportedly found by a hacker collective that seeks to shed light on just how pervasive video surveillance has become and the ease with which it can be accessed surreptitiously. The collective claiming responsibility didn't just get Tesla cameras, either. It also gained control of cameras in jails, schools, hospitals and police departments, as well as logs from security doors of who had accessed them.

According to Bloomberg's report, the way the hacker group gained access to Verkada's systems wasn't exactly what you'd call cutting-edge or super sophisticated. Instead, they found a so-called Super Admin account that gave access to all cameras connected to the Verkada system. The account details had allegedly been posted online.

We attempted to reach out to Tesla for comment but didn't hear back in time for publication.

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