Why do they cover the camera on a laptop? Why (not) you need to tape the camera on your laptop. Do you need to tape the camera?

All-seeing hackers are a paranoid's nightmare. You can only escape from them by covering the camera with a band-aid. Then no one will see anything for sure.

Do you still believe this nonsense? Let's look at why your camera doesn't need a patch.

Does it make sense to tape the camera?

I'll surprise you now, but for 99% of people there is no point in covering the camera.

In fact, hackers have little interest in your personal life, the color of the wallpaper in your room, or your sexual partners. They can hack your computer and look into your webcam only if they want to get really valuable information - for example, a description of a new technology, a business case, logins and passwords for bank accounts, etc.

And then they will do this only when efforts to crack many times will pay off.

See example. Is it possible to see through the camera what password you are typing?

Open Skype, click on the three dots at the top of the left panel, go to “Settings”, activate the “Check Video” switch.

The keyboard is clearly not visible. And it’s easier not to look at the camera, but to force them to install some kind of keylogger or slip in a phishing form for entering logins and passwords.

I got it like this:

On the other hand, it is theoretically possible to follow the example of Dmitry Shalashov on a federal scale. The hacker hacked the cameras on the victims' computers, showed them a video or played music, watched the reaction, posted everything on Synchtube and collected donations from fans. To hack, he used the LuminosityLink utility for remote control.

If a hacker hacked your camera, then you really an important and serious person. At least at the level of Comey or Zuckerberg. For industrial espionage or obtaining government secrets, this makes sense. For personal blackmail - no.

Hacking IP cameras is a completely different story. There are many sites where you can broadcast from non-password-protected cameras around the world. And in groups on social networks they offer to spy on living people through hacked cameras for several hundred rubles.

It's your own fault that people are spying on you through your camera.

Most often, to view the broadcast from your camera, hackers need to infect you with a Trojan like Blackshades and force installation of the administration utility (RemCam2, LuminosityLink, TeamViewer, RMS, etc.). You may also be asked to provide the authorization code that is issued by the administration program.

But to get infected you need follow the link or open the file yourself in the messenger. And sometimes they also issue permission to access the camera.

Hidden hacking (without your consent and requesting permissions) will cost the customer hundreds of dollars. He won’t earn that much for a photo of you in panties (or even without them).

Which celebrity tapes up the camera?

Creator of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg, For example. This has been proven - the billionaire accidentally burned himself to death when he was talking about Instargam’s achievements on his page:

Look closely at the MacBook behind it. Yes, you read that right, there’s also a microphone covered with electrical tape.

Let's say Zuckerberg is a paranoid reptilian. But what can you say about the ex-FBI director? James Comey? He admitted: many people laugh at his habit of covering up his webcam. But Comey himself will not stop doing this, and advises others.

Well-known brands also support paranoia and meet customers halfway. For example, at MWC 2018, Huawei MateBook X Pro with a camera that is built into a key on the keyboard and extends when necessary.

The price of a laptop is from 1500 euros. Not putting a patch on the camera is priceless.

What threats are more dangerous than peepers through a camera?

Here are just a few real threats that are much more dangerous than a webcam image:

Phishing sites that disguise themselves as online banking sites, stock exchanges, etc.: theft of logins and passwords, access to an account;
Malicious applications that regularly take screenshots of your screen: stealing logins, passwords, secret documents, photos, etc.;
Tracking your GPS coordinates: hackers will know exactly when you are not at home, and will help burglars find the right time to steal;
Microphone tracking: Speech recognition works faster and better than video stream recognition. Stealing “company secrets” announced in the office is more interesting than getting your home photo.

So how to protect yourself from peeping through your camera?

If you're worried about mommy hackers hacking into your computer or smartphone camera, just don't do anything stupid.

Not long ago, the network literally exploded with a photograph of the computer of Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of the social network Facebook, which showed how the camera of his Apple Macbook laptop was sealed with something like adhesive tape or tape. Someone ridiculed his action, someone justified it, and someone wondered if he should do the same. Let's figure out how important it is to seal the camera with tape or tape for your safety.

Why do people tape their cameras?

The technology is far from perfect and there are gaps in every system through which attackers connect to their victims’ web cameras and get the opportunity to watch them at any time when the laptop is open.

Popular people - artists, politicians, public figures, etc. - are especially at risk. But ordinary citizens often become victims of such burglars.

Who might be interested in you?

If you are not a politician, not an actor or not a public figure, then the interest in you from attackers is minimal; they are simply not interested in you. The same can be said about various intelligence services in different countries that monitor suspicious people or public figures.

The average citizen is of little interest to burglars. First of all, because after connecting to your camera he will see... a serious face who is now reading, for example, this article.

But things can easily change. Having hacked your computer and connected to the camera, the hacker suddenly discovers that there is no one at the computer, the laptop is open, and something interesting is happening opposite. New “viewers” immediately join the viewing, and the victims don’t even suspect anything about it.

Well, for example, if the laptop is located in your bedroom directly opposite the bed. Hackers will be happy to observe your personal life. Perhaps they will record a couple of bright moments and send them to friends. Or they will demand a ransom from you in exchange for not releasing the video to the public.

Laptop camera operation indicator

Surely you will now say that on laptops there is a small light that lights up when the camera is turned on, so it won’t be difficult to catch the moment the camera is activated? But it's not that simple. This light can be bypassed, so you will never suspect that you are being watched. The same goes for the camera and microphone on your phone. For example, intelligence agencies can activate them and listen to you for a long time, and you will not know anything about it.

Should you tape your camera?

This may seem like paranoia from the outside, but I would recommend covering the camera with something opaque. It would also be a good idea to turn off the microphone so that in the event of a hack, the attacker cannot hear what is happening around your computer.

Not long ago, the network literally exploded with a photo of the computer of Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of the social network Facebook, which showed how the camera of his Apple Macbook laptop was sealed with something like adhesive tape or tape. Someone ridiculed his action, someone justified it, and someone wondered if he should do the same. Let's figure out how important it is to seal the camera with tape or tape for your safety.

3 things about this photo of Zuck:

Camera covered with tape
Mic jack covered with tape
Email client is Thunderbird pic.twitter.com/vdQlF7RjQt

Why do people tape their cameras?

Popular people - artists, politicians, public figures, etc. - are especially at risk. But ordinary citizens often become victims of such burglars.

Who might be interested in you?

The average citizen is of little interest to burglars. First of all, because after connecting to your camera he will see... a serious face who is now reading, for example, this article.

Laptop camera operation indicator

Should you tape your camera?

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Just a couple of years ago, it was believed that sealing the cameras of modern gadgets was the first sign of schizophrenia, fueled by the current dystopian TV series. But after FBI Director James Comey said that this was as important as closing the front door at night, everyone felt a little uneasy.

website found 4 specific reasons why a quarter of laptop owners still cover their webcams.

1. This is effective protection of personal information

2. The camera is the keyhole to privacy

Let's assume that you are far from a media personality and not even the owner of classified information - so why hack you, you ask? Because we are all human, and life is in full swing in front of our monitors: someone likes to sit naked in front of the screen, someone watches prohibited videos, someone hangs all the passwords on the wall opposite the laptop, including, sometimes, online banking. All of this is quite enough to interact with your life in some way.

3. There are specific schemes

In 2015, a British hacker used the Blackshades Trojan program to monitor the private lives of his friends via camera. This virus can be easily obtained on closed forums.
In 2016, a user of the website 2ch.hk used several people’s computers and experimented on them (unexpectedly turned on music, opened porn sites, etc.), and then broadcast their reactions via YouTube, putting on a whole show.
In 2011, Californian hacker Luis Mijangos received 6 years in prison for secretly monitoring girls on a webcam, photographing them, and then blackmailing them.
In 2013, it became known from the court minutes that the FBI could use user cameras in its investigations.
In addition, some providers can connect to the cameras of their subscribers in order to check vulnerabilities.

With privacy in the modern world. So much so that people are ready, armed with duct tape, to seal all the entrances and exits on the computer so that personal information does not fall into the hands of intruders. “Big Brother is watching you” - a phrase from George Orwell’s dystopia perfectly personifies the modern world. Hackers periodically steal user personal data, photos, passwords, and so on.

It's no surprise that in a photo recently posted by Mark Zuckerberg, his laptop is posed with its camera and microphone taped over. You can’t help but think, maybe you really should take care of your safety, cover your webcam and come up with more difficult passwords.

Hackers don't care about me

And you can't argue with that. Unless you are a big businessman, politician or celebrity, no one will deliberately follow you. But don’t forget that everyone can pick up. And if such an infection gets onto your computer, the hacker will gain access to it, and at the same time to the devices connected to the computer. I think few people will be happy about this prospect. Owners of PCs with Windows on board are most at risk. They should get an antivirus and not download any garbage like MediaGet, since 90% of such programs spread viruses.

In this regard, Mac users are luckier, since there are fewer viruses and it is more difficult to gain access to the camera without the owner’s knowledge.

Yes please, I have nothing to hide

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Believe me, a hacker is also not interested in looking at your bored face stuck into the monitor. But he can still do harm. Just remember the incident in April 2016. Then the user “Dvacha”, having gained access to several hundred computers, staged an entire online show. He openly trolled people, turned on gay porn and music in his browser, and lit up the VKontakte page. The main thing is that the identity of the pest was never established. Or let's remember the story of an unlucky Briton who monitored the sex lives of his friends through webcams. However, he was quickly identified and put behind bars.

Why am I doing all this? Cases of surveillance are not isolated, so don’t think of it as something distant that will never happen to you. In addition, in addition to hackers, intelligence agencies are engaged in surveillance, Snowden spoke about this back in 2014. The NSA is quite capable of making a smartphone spy on you by turning on the camera and microphone. And you won't even know about it. But, as I wrote above, if you are an ordinary person, the intelligence services are not interested in you. Bye.

Therefore, do not rush to wrap all the equipment in the house with electrical tape; basic precautions are enough. But in the case of Zuckerberg and other eminent personalities, duct tape is a completely justified step. More precisely, one of many steps towards safety.

It's fashionable to be afraid

ingestmag.com

It’s worth thinking about your safety, but everything should be within reason. Many companies began to capitalize on the fear of surveillance by producing various curtains and films for cameras. They talk about surveillance on TV, in movies, and in TV series. And here it is important not to lose your head, otherwise the next step will be a tin foil hat.

So how to fight?

You can, of course, tape the camera and microphone, but if you are an ordinary person, you don’t need tape. Get an antivirus, install only proven software and, of course, do not post all your ins and outs on social networks. Nowadays, various services can tell you much more about you than a webcam. Therefore, it is worth thinking about privacy and passwords more difficult than your birthday.