Chinese firm recalls webcams after hacking attack

A Chinese electronics firm has said it will recall webcam products sold in the US after a major hacking attack.

Security researchers found parts provided by Hangzhou Xiongmai were targeted in last week's cyber attack. 

Hackers also targeted such devices as digital video recorders and gained access to some of the web's most frequently visited sites, including Twitter and Spotify.

The company have said that a recall of earlier products released in the United States will soon be under way, and that password functions would be strengthened in the hopes of tightening security. Users will also be sent a 'patch' for products made before April last year.

In a statement on its official microblog, Hangzhou Xiongmai claimed that security issues are "a problem facing all mankind" and that these problems are not exclusive to "industry giants".

One of the biggest issues which contributed to the attack was users failing to change default passwords, it added.

It denied reports that the company's products made up the majority of those targeted in the attack and asserted that many products are still well protected from cyber security breaches.

Security experts were alarmed by this cyber attack because of the implications that new threats can arise from simple digital devices, like webcams, which lack proper safeguards.

Hackers were able to tap into millions of webcams and overwhelm their targets with internet traffic.

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