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People cover their webcams because the news told them scary hackers would be watching them in their private time. While yes that can be true, the media blew up
by Rotdhizon 8y ago
People cover their webcams because the news told them scary hackers would be watching them in their private time. While yes that can be true, the media blew up way out of proportion and it caught on. There are no downsides to covering your camera though, so it isn't a bad thing.
I cover mine not out of paranoia of being hacked, but to avoid embarrassment say if I auto-joined a meeting or did something which turned it on in a conversation.
This isn't to say you shouldn't cover it. There are absolutely people who distribute malware specifically for getting access to webcams and mics. That footage/recording can subsequently be used for blackmail. The media tries to make it seem like every other time you open your laptop, you'll contract some mega virus that will let people record your entire life.
- mc32 8y agoPretty much this. Random user is not the target of state sponsored hacking. Targets of state sponsored hacking will succumb to their efgorts anyway. So, yes, cover the cam, if mostly to avoid inadvertent video when joining web meetings.
- astebbin 8y agoHypothetical: as the cost of mass storage continues to plunge, why wouldn’t less-scrupulous states gather as much dirt as possible on anyone of even the remotest national interest (through intermediaries, of course), in case it ever becomes valuable? The cost/benefit equation there seems pretty clear. As a competitor state, his much would YOU pay for the next U.S. President’s private Facebook message history? A million dollars? A hundred million? Trade deals in the billions could be at stake.
- gargravarr 8y agoHypothetical? This was exposed in 2013. It DOES happen. Indiscriminate dragnet surveillance is the norm. I prefer to assume everything I post online is already being collected, indexed and analysed.
- scarface74 8y agoThere are absolutely people who distribute malware specifically for getting access to webcams and mics. If they can hijack your camera and your mic, what good does just covering your camera do? It would be a lot more valuable to hear a conversation in a board conference room for instance than just to see the laptop user on video.