News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Don't close your MacBook with a cover over the camera by hummo56 on Saturday July 11, 2020 @01:58AM (#23799914)
That is exactly what OP meant: you need to

A) trust that in your actual laptop in front of you, this mechanism is correctly implemented.

B) trust that you are not in the vulnerable phase where your LED broke and you did not notice yet. (Especially when you rarely use your camera).

Re:Don't close your MacBook with a cover over the camera by harha on Saturday July 11, 2020 @02:30AM (#23800061)
Regarding B: I’m wondering if the camera or the led typically break Would first with a higher probability
Re:Don't close your MacBook with a cover over the camera by agsamek on Saturday July 11, 2020 @04:09AM (#23800441)
It is extremely unlikely (in the human terms - not possible) that LED would break in such a way that it transmits the power and not emit light at the same time.

Of course the LED can be installed in a parallel connection on the circuit, but I read the op statement as it is not the case.

Re:Don't close your MacBook with a cover over the camera by edeion on Saturday July 11, 2020 @05:18AM (#23800703)
"Let's devise a way to purposefully burn the LED in such a way that current can go through." We have to keep in mind that not everything has to be by accident :) I have no idea how likely it is to be possible, though, you've got a point.
Re:Don't close your MacBook with a cover over the camera by gugagore on Saturday July 11, 2020 @10:41AM (#23802520)
Why did you read that it's not the case? I read the opposite. That if the LED broke, you'd notice it because your camera would be on and the light would be off.

Not that the camera never turns on.

Re:Don't close your MacBook with a cover over the camera by dgoldstein0 on Saturday July 11, 2020 @07:02AM (#23801168)
I would bet on the LED being parallel - otherwise sending more current through it will burn more power, generate more heat, and likely cause it to wear faster.

I think the point though is that it's not software controlled in any way: powering on the camera lights up the LED, and there's no way to bypass that with only software. Or at least that's the claim.