Hackers Expose Flock Camera's Operations and Data Tracking Methods

WHO:

404 Media - The hacker collective involved is named stegan0gram.

Wired - Flock Safety is the company that produces the cameras.

WHAT:

Ars Technica - A bipartisan bill is being proposed that would restrict Flock cameras to a limited number of public safety applications.

404 Media - The hackers stated, “We liberated hardware in the field, disarmed them, and proceeded with reverse engineering of the cameras and associated solar equipment.”

404 Media - The hackers reported that the camera's software explicitly detects people, recording their location in images and the confidence level of the detection.

404 Media - The camera's logs showed that it generated more than 1.6 million images of vehicles over a span of 21 days, with a typical day logging around 3,300 vehicles and a high of 4,454.

404 Media - The hackers shared the material with 404 Media and the transparency nonprofit Distributed Denial of Secrets, which shared the data with WIRED.

404 Media - The camera's software explicitly detects people, recording their location in images and the confidence level of the detection.

404 Media - The camera's logs recorded more than 12,000 instances of the message, “Who’s a good boy?!” during checks to ensure the camera was operational.

404 Media - The logs also included a final message upon reboot: “A reboot was requested! ¡Adios Amigos!”

404 Media - The hackers recovered an encryption key that unlocked videos of thousands of vehicle detections, revealing that the camera generated about 28 images for a typical passing vehicle, with some vehicles producing more than 100 images.

404 Media - The camera's logs recorded about 21 days of activity, photographing roughly 50,200 vehicles and generating about 1.6 million images, with a typical day logging around 3,300 vehicles and a high of 4,454.

404 Media - The camera's logs showed more than 27,000 "no space left on device" errors while trying to save full-resolution images, along with tens of thousands of related errors, crashes, and reboots.

Mashable - The hackers extracted the software from the Flock camera, revealing how it tracks vehicles and people.

Boston.com - Boston city officials announced they will not use Flock surveillance cameras going forward due to a vendor error that left drivers' data unsecured during a pilot program.

404 Media - The hackers dismantled a Flock camera and recovered an encryption key.

Wired - The data extracted included thousands of videos and logs, capturing 1.6 million images of 50,000 vehicles over a span of 21 days.

Reddit Conspiracy - The hackers made a near-complete copy of the data stored inside the camera and shared the files with 404 Media and WIRED.

WHERE:

Reddit Conspiracy - The Flock camera was located above a roadway.

WHEN:

Wired - The data collection period lasted for 21 days.

WHY:

404 Media - The hackers aim to publish details on how they obtained the software to encourage others to replicate their actions.

Reddit Conspiracy - The hackers aim to publish details on how they obtained the software to encourage others to replicate their actions.

Reddit Conspiracy - The hackers aimed to publish details on how they obtained the software to encourage others to replicate their actions.

HOW:

404 Media - The hackers accessed the Android system on the camera and found two unencrypted partitions, one called "vendor" and another called "media," which contained the encryption key.

Ars Technica - A bipartisan bill is being proposed that would restrict the use of Flock cameras to a limited number of public safety applications.

404 Media - The camera was shown to run approximately 20 apps on a midrange smartphone-grade processor.

(UPDATED September 16, 2026 21:00 UTC)

A bipartisan bill is being proposed to restrict Flock cameras to a limited number of public safety applications. Hackers have claimed they accessed the cameras' Android system, discovering unencrypted partitions that contained the encryption key, and they reported that the cameras generated over 1.6 million images of vehicles in just 21 days. Their goal is to publish details about how they obtained the software, encouraging others to replicate their actions.

(UPDATED September 16, 2026 20:02 UTC)

Hackers have shared sensitive material with 404 Media and the transparency nonprofit Distributed Denial of Secrets, which in turn provided the data to WIRED. The camera's software is designed to explicitly detect people, capturing their locations in images along with the confidence level of each detection. Interestingly, the camera's logs recorded over 12,000 instances of the playful message, “Who’s a good boy?!” during operational checks, and concluded with a quirky reboot message stating, “A reboot was requested! ¡Adios Amigos!”

(UPDATED September 16, 2026 19:02 UTC)

Hackers have successfully recovered an encryption key that unlocked videos from a camera, revealing it generated about 28 images for each vehicle that passed by, with some vehicles producing over 100 images. The camera's logs indicated it captured approximately 50,200 vehicles over 21 days, resulting in around 1.6 million images, with a peak day logging 4,454 vehicles. Additionally, the logs reported more than 27,000 errors related to insufficient storage while trying to save full-resolution images, along with numerous crashes and reboots.

(UPDATED September 16, 2026 17:59 UTC)

Hackers have successfully extracted software from the Flock camera, uncovering its methods for tracking vehicles and people. Their goal is to publish the details of their actions to inspire others to replicate their efforts. In response, a bipartisan bill is being proposed to limit the use of Flock cameras to specific public safety applications.

(UPDATED September 16, 2026 14:00 UTC)

Boston city officials have decided to discontinue the use of Flock surveillance cameras after a vendor error compromised the security of drivers' data during a pilot program. The announcement was made at two o'clock UTC. This decision marks a significant shift in the city's approach to surveillance technology.

(UPDATED September 16, 2026 13:06 UTC)

A hacker collective named stegan0gram has successfully dismantled a Flock Safety camera located above a roadway, recovering an encryption key in the process. They extracted a massive amount of data, including thousands of videos and logs that captured 1.6 million images of 50,000 vehicles over a period of 21 days, and shared this information with 404 Media and Wired. The hackers plan to publish details on how they obtained the software to encourage others to replicate their actions, revealing that the camera operated on a midrange smartphone-grade processor running approximately 20 apps.