Are hackers watching you through your webcam?

Its fact that hackers can do almost anything these days, 14% of South Africans actually cover their webcams on their laptops because they fear that people are spying on them! Arrests have even been made where hackers have taken control of webcams, videoed secret movies and then blackmailed their victims, but that’s not all hackers use webcams for…


Hackers are able to access a lot of devices; webcams, baby monitors or any other device hooked up to wireless internet, they then can use these devices to try and see passwords or credit card numbers on your desk, they can also access the microphone and listen in on what you’re saying.

So how do hackers take control of your webcam? Like a lot of your common malware infections, webcams can get infected too. When you’re downloading some music or a video off the internet, do you know exactly what you’re downloading onto your system? These programs could be hiding a Trojan, when a webcam hack happens the Trojan malware finds a way to take control of cameras without you even knowing.

Luckily for us there are some steps we can take to secure our webcams, here are some expect do’s and don’ts:
- DON’T click on suspicious attachments. Too often we click on something without even thinking first, email attachments are one of the main sources of malware, also try to avoid those sites that offer free music, videos and movies.
- DO us a firewall. Your computer will come with a firewall, but you need to make sure it’s turned on! If you’re using Windows: click on the “Start” button, search for “Windows Firewall” and you’ll be able to access the settings.
- DO use strong anti-virus software. Always make sure you have a high quality security software on your PC or laptop, it should offer both malware and spyware protection, it up to you though to make sure its kept up-to-date.
- DON’T keep PC’s or laptops with webcams in your bedroom. Remind yourself and your family not to do anything in front of a webcam that you wouldn't want the entire world to see, you never know who could be watching from the other side. Otherwise just close of cover your devices in your bedroom.
- DO secure your wireless internet connection. Always make sure your wireless is protected with a good, unique password so it’s not accessible to any random person.
- DON’T talk to strangers online. Avoid chatting to people online that you don’t know, they could be trying to build trust so they can gain access to your webcam, advise your family and friends to do the same.
- DO look out for the indicator light. On most external webcams there will be a red light showing that the webcam is on, if you have a laptop with an internal webcam, it is usually a blue light. If you’re using an external webcam simply take it out of the USB port.

In the end the best solution is to keep your security programs up-to-date or just simply cover the webcam lens! This solution may sound silly, but it will give you peace of mind that no one is spying on you.

At The Computer Guyz in Cape Town or Centurion we pride ourselves on a broad range of IT services that we can offer you. From various service offerings ranging from general IT support to graphic and website design, contact us should you need anything!


Written By: Christine Romans
CopyWriter at The Computer Guyz Cape Town

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