FBI director: Cover up your webcam

Re:FBI director: Cover up your webcam by iceman99 on Thursday September 15, 2016 @06:07AM (#12504696)

I know someone whose camera and microphone were taken over. A window showed on her computer where the person watching her chatted with her and told her things that he only knew because he was watching her. It scared her to death and made her cry.

Beyond blackmail, it is probably close to the psychological equivalent of a stranger just suddenly appearing in your home watching you.

I think that every electronic camera and mic device should have a hard switch/button that physically disables both the camera and mic. Having to use tape or a cover does not keep you from being spied on; it only eliminates the visual spying. The attacker can still listen.

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Re:FBI director: Cover up your webcam by zyngaro on Thursday September 15, 2016 @06:26AM (#12504754)

Smartphones represent a bigger security risk in that regard. Front facing rear facing, mic all ones personal data, pictures and so on.

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Re:FBI director: Cover up your webcam by JohnStrange on Thursday September 15, 2016 @06:42AM (#12504822)

Hardly. You put your phone on the desk and it's going to show the ceiling. In contrast to this, people do all kinds of weird things in front of laptops. I've even heard once of someone who allegedly masturbated (!) in front of a laptop. Of course, that must have been an extreme outlier ...

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Re:FBI director: Cover up your webcam by matt_wulfeck on Thursday September 15, 2016 @12:43PM (#12507638)

Remote code execution on a cell phone is thousands of times harder than a PC. If you have a RCE for the newest iOS software then there's people who are ready to pay you millions.

An up-to-date Nexus or iPhone is about the most secure thing you own.

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Re:FBI director: Cover up your webcam by jimhefferon on Thursday September 15, 2016 @08:29AM (#12505499)

Yes. They should have a switch.

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Re:FBI director: Cover up your webcam by Golddisk on Thursday September 15, 2016 @11:03AM (#12506734)

This should definitely be a concern, but I feel like most people don't even realize that anything like that could happen. There is lots a news about webcams, baby monitors, etc. being hacked, but barely any warnings about making sure you keep your phone protected and secure, too.

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Re:FBI director: Cover up your webcam by r_smart on Thursday September 15, 2016 @07:58AM (#12505302)

Not trying to be flippant, but just pull the USB cable out. Just takes a second, even if it's plugged into the back of your computer (I do it all the time with my keyboard if I'm working on my laptop that day).

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Re:FBI director: Cover up your webcam by Al-Khwarizmi on Thursday September 15, 2016 @08:16AM (#12505416)

That doesn't work with cameras integrated in laptops.

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Re:FBI director: Cover up your webcam by r_smart on Thursday September 15, 2016 @08:39AM (#12505560)

That's...a really good point. Talk about a massive blind spot on my part :)

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