HOMES, businesses, even a post office have been targeted by hackers, who have posted live images from security cameras online.

A website based in Russia is streaming at least five camera feeds of various sites in Eastleigh and in Southampton including what looks like an elderly woman at a Post Office counter.

The shot from within the post office shows the view from behind the counter, looking towards the front of the premises.

When the Daily Echo examined the image, we saw back of a sales assistant behind the till talking to the elderly customer, with a computer screen and card machine clearly visible to whoever wanted to view the footage.

Other screenshots from Eastleigh show the inside of a warehouse with people working inside and a driveway with a van.

There are also three shots of properties in Southampton, with screen shots of driveways, a living room and window blinds inside a house.

The images come from webcams and security cameras which have not had their default passwords changed, making it relatively simple for hackers to gain control of them.

Around 600 such camera feeds from the UK are being streamed on to a Russian based site using this method, plus many thousands more from around the globe.

Every image is accompanied by a map showing where the camera is, although it does not appear to pinpoint exact locations, but rather the centre of nearest town or city.

The site says it is not using the sorts of webcams that are built into laptops or plugged in to computers without requiring any other sort of setting up.

The people behind it they will also remove any streams from the site if contacted by the people who own the camera and are only posting up the streams 'to highlight the importance of security.'

Anyone logging on to the site can search by location or by make of camera for a stream to view, or alternatively there is an option to "Watch Random" stream.

Now, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has urged people to change their passwords after the website was found to be accessing cameras in everything from CCTV to baby monitors, computer webcams and televisions.

The site features live feeds from homes and businesses across the UK and with an estimated 350,000 of this particular camera model sold in the country last year, the ICO warned that those without password protection or with weak passwords could be vulnerable to hackers.

Simon Rice, ICO group manager for technology, said: "The website, which is based in Russia, accesses the information by using the default login credentials, which are freely available online, for thousands of cameras.

"The footage is being collected from security cameras used by businesses and members of the public, ranging from CCTV networks used to keep large premises secure, down to built-in cameras on baby monitors.

"This is a threat that all of us need to be aware of and be taking action to protect against."

Many people use webcams to monitor their homes remotely while they are away, viewing the footage over the internet.

But Mr Rice warned: "The ability to access footage remotely is both an internet cameras biggest selling point and, if not set up correctly, potentially its biggest security weakness. Remember, if you can access your video footage over the internet, then what is stopping someone else from doing the same?

"You may think that having to type in an obscure web address to access the footage provides some level of protection. However, this will not protect you from the remote software that hackers often use to scan the internet for vulnerable devices. In some cases, insecure cameras can be identified using nothing more than an internet search engine.

"As a last resort, you can always cover the lens if you don't want to use the camera all of the time."

Information commissioner, Christopher Graham, said: "It's spooky. They scan the internet and track down feeds. There are 600 in the UK and that is nothing - there are 5,000 in the States. We were alerted to it by our colleagues in Australia and Canada. It's all over the place."

If the website was based in the UK it would be illegal, breaching the Data Protection Act, but Mr Graham said the issue needed a "global response".

Emma Carr, director of Big Brother Watch, said: "Few people would leave their front doors unlocked, yet failing to password protect your devices carries the same risks to both their privacy and security.

"As the capability of these devices becomes increasingly sophisticated, it is inevitable that users will inadvertently expose themselves and their lives to hackers. This warning from the ICO should come as a timely wake-up call that the public need to start educating themselves about the technology they are bringing into their homes and how to keep it secure."

Daily Echo: 06/08/2014 PA File photo of a person using a laptop. See PA Feature INTERNET Internet Column. Picture credit should read: Dominic Lipinski/PA Photos. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature. UK REGIONAL PAPERS AND MAGAZINES, PLEASE

How to stay safe online:

Many internet-connected devices, such as security camera, routers and network storage come with plenty of built in security features.

However, they tend to have a factory default username and password.

To ensure you don't fall prey to hackers, make sure you follow the manufacturers instructions on how to change the default password - and choose something secure.

Words like "Password" or "12345" are very common and easy for people to guess. Instead use something only you would know, with a minimum length of eight characters and use numbers and letters and punctuation to mix things up and make it even harder to guess.

For example, if you're a football fan, instead of using "saints" as your password, try something like "541nts.1976".

Also, never use the same password for all your important accounts or devices. - if you do that, if someone gets the password to one account, they get access to all of your accounts.