By Andy O'Donnell, From LifeWire.com
From smartphones and tablets to notebook PCs, webcams seem to be standard equipment these days. Just about every device we use has a camera on it. Did you ever stop to think that while you're staring at your screen, someone on the Internet might be staring back at you?
The national news is awash in stories about hackers tricking users into installing webcam spyware.
How can you be sure that no one is watching you without your permission?
Many webcams on notebook computers have indicator lights on them that let you know when your camera is actively capturing video. It may be possible (on some cameras) to disable the activity light through software hacks or modifying configuration settings. So, just because you don't see an activity light on doesn't mean that your webcam isn't still capturing video.
What can you do to secure your webcam?
The Simple Solution: Cover It Up
Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best ones. If you want to be absolutely sure that no one is watching you through your webcam, get some electrical tape and cover it. If you don't want any tape residue on your camera then you can use a longer strip of tape and fold it back on itself. Not even the best hacker in the world can defeat electrical tape.
If you want to get a little more sophisticated, you can roll up a coin in the electrical tape so that the weight of the coin helps the tape stay positioned over the camera.
When you want to use the camera, just lift the coin up and fold it back over the top of your computer screen.
There are many other creative solutions that our readers have come up with and posted to our blog site. Maybe someone out there will start a Kickstarter project and come up with a solution that can be sold to the masses.
That is one tip - see the rest at Lifewire.com
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| "Webcam Cover-Ups - pack of 10" (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) by adafruit |
The national news is awash in stories about hackers tricking users into installing webcam spyware.
How can you be sure that no one is watching you without your permission?
Many webcams on notebook computers have indicator lights on them that let you know when your camera is actively capturing video. It may be possible (on some cameras) to disable the activity light through software hacks or modifying configuration settings. So, just because you don't see an activity light on doesn't mean that your webcam isn't still capturing video.
What can you do to secure your webcam?
The Simple Solution: Cover It Up
Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best ones. If you want to be absolutely sure that no one is watching you through your webcam, get some electrical tape and cover it. If you don't want any tape residue on your camera then you can use a longer strip of tape and fold it back on itself. Not even the best hacker in the world can defeat electrical tape.
If you want to get a little more sophisticated, you can roll up a coin in the electrical tape so that the weight of the coin helps the tape stay positioned over the camera.
When you want to use the camera, just lift the coin up and fold it back over the top of your computer screen.
There are many other creative solutions that our readers have come up with and posted to our blog site. Maybe someone out there will start a Kickstarter project and come up with a solution that can be sold to the masses.
That is one tip - see the rest at Lifewire.com
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