Unattended "camgirl" sites expose data of sex workers and users

After having left the back-end database unprotected, a number of popular “camgirl” sites have exposed millions of sex workers and users.

The sites, run by Barcelona-based VTS Media, include amateur.tv, webcampornoxxx.net, and placercams.com. Most of the sites’ users are based in Spain and Europe, but there are users from countries like the United States that use these sites too.

According to Alexa traffic rankings, amateur.tv is one of the most popular in Spain.

None of the data have been found encrypted.

The database, containing months-worth of daily logs of the site activities, was left without a password for weeks. Those logs included detailed records of when users logged in - including usernames and sometimes their user-agents and IP addresses, which can be used to identify users. The logs also included users’ private chat messages with other users, as well as promotional emails they were receiving from the various sites.

The exposed data also revealed which videos users were watching and renting, exposing kinks and private sexual preferences.

In all, the logs were detailed enough to see which users were logging in, from where, and often their email addresses or other identifiable information.

The database was finally shut off last week.