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Show HN: Password Protect Your Webcam
- walterbell 12y agoHow would this protect against a rootkit?
- loupereira 12y agoThe program can not be disabled or uninstalled once it is locked, even if you are an administrator. The only way to disable or uninstall the program is with the password that was set to block the webcam.
- The_Sponge 12y agoI don't believe that. If you're administrator, then by design you have access to pretty much "everything", unless your code is running as SYSTEM, or something crazy like that. iana windows user but this is not passing the smell test. Also, how does it handle rootkits?
- loupereira 12y agoTry to uninstall it without unlocking it first and let me know how you make out. It's a free download. This was done by design for parental control reasons.
- caw 12y agoDon't have a Windows box, but sounds like fun discovering how to disable it. * If locked, I assume it prevents access even by changing the USB port? * Does it prevent other use of the USB ports (flash drives, etc)? * Does it prevent all cameras, or just the camera identified while the software was running?
- loupereira 12y ago* If locked, I assume it prevents access even by changing the USB port? Yes * Does it prevent other use of the USB ports (flash drives, etc)? No * Does it prevent all cameras, or just the camera identified while the software was running? Prevents all cameras.
- walterbell 12y agoKeylogger?
- loupereira 12y agoNo keylogger protection for the password, that's in the works for the next version.
- eli 12y agoSo if I boot off a LiveCD and mount the hard drive without starting Windows, what's stopping me from locating and removing this application?
- loupereira 12y agoThat's the only way to uninstall it without the password.
- ryan-c 12y agoWould you be willing to back up that claim by offering some cash (I suggest at least $2500) to whoever can prove you wrong?
- loupereira 12y agoThat the program can not be uninstalled once it is locked?
- ryan-c 12y agoMore generally, that it cannot be disabled/bypassed short of using a boot disk. A "winner" should be able to turn the webcam on without the password when run with administrator privileges.
- loupereira 12y agoI am probably just going to give the product away for free, but continue to support it. If any bugs are found I will patch them. If I decide to continue monetizing the product I will definitely consider the contest. Thanks for your feedback.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- ryan-c 12y agoMaybe it encrypts part of the webcam driver? This still would not be effective, though.
- phantom784 12y agoHow does it do this?
- tehwebguy 12y agoDoes anything protect against a rootkit? (seriously asking)
- blueflow 12y agoEvery method requires an entry point. Like re-flashing an device requires an uncompromised bootloader. You would need an entry point very close to the hardware. I would say its possible, but not realistic except for very simple devices.
- The_Sponge 12y agoYeah, when you have a rootkit that's active, there are signals you can look at to claim from a range of "there is most certainly a rootkit" to "there is a small possibility that there is a rootkit".
- walterbell 12y agoAs a starting point, the protection layer has to have a higher privilege level than the operating system, e.g. hypervisor.
- eli 12y agoA piece of tape over the lens?
- Lukas_Skywalker 12y agoThe website advertises that it "Block[s] access with parental controls and signal jamming". How the hell is this supposed to work? Very, very suspicious.
- loupereira 12y agoThe program starts the stream of frames and then blocks/jams it after receiving the first frame.
- The_Sponge 12y ago"Completely prevents the NSA or hackers from monitoring" That is an insane claim.
- loupereira 12y agoI agree. I purchased this web site recently and didn't make any changes to the home page including claims. The only thing I did since I purchased the site was develop a new version.
- mkmk 12y agoThat is actually more interesting... can you tell us about what exactly you bought, why you bought it, who you bought it from, etc?
- loupereira 12y agoI purchased it on flippa: https://flippa.com/3098750-security-software-application-webcam-blocker-pro https://flippa.com/3098750-security-software-application-web.... I purchased the domain name (thunderdefense.com) and the source code for the original version. I completely scraped the original source code since the program did not do anything it claimed to do and developed a completely new version.
- The_Sponge 12y agoSo you're ShowHNing something that you bought...
- loupereira 12y agoI'm ShowHNing something I developed from scratch.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- pwenzel 12y agoMac users can make use of the EFF's laptop camera cover set. https://supporters.eff.org/shop/laptop-camera-cover-set https://supporters.eff.org/shop/laptop-camera-cover-set
- loupereira 12y agoMac version is in the works.
- uptown 12y agoThis works pretty well too: http://www.amazon.com/General-Brand-Black-Masking-Tape/dp/B0007V9PF8 http://www.amazon.com/General-Brand-Black-Masking-Tape/dp/B0...
- loupereira 12y agoTape doesn't work so well for parents but good try.
- iancarroll 12y agoVery suspicious: - All of your logos are fake at the top. (GeoTrust != Symantec, that seal was taken offline a year ago and is clickable) - Pretty obvious you bought the Facebook likes - Download is probably a virus, I'll check once I'm off my phone.
- loupereira 12y agoDefinitely not a virus. I purchased this web site recently and didn't make any changes to the home page so it's very possible the Facebook likes were bought. The only thing I did since I purchased the site was develop a new version. I removed the original logos.
- reustle 12y agoThis feels like making money off of FUD
- loupereira 12y agoNot really, I'm actually considering giving it away for free and developing a paid enterprise version. If anyone here is interested in a free license key please email HN@thunderdefense.com
- chmars 12y agoRelax, the site is obviously meant to be a joke on a real issue … Although webcam blocking is relatively easy with stickers etc. Microphone blocking on the other hand without disabling a microphone is tricky to impossible … and all other sensors are usually impossible to block.
- loupereira 12y agoObviously you don't see the benefits. Have you tried the program?
- DanBC 12y agoThe banner across the top provides some strongly negative feelings. Awards and ratings are often meaningless. The shield logo confused me. I thought it was for some other company but was missing some text - "approved by CORP" perhaps. So I web-searched it, and it's your logo. The claims range from nonsensical to deliberate lies. > Blocks government agencies This is a remarkable claim! If a well funded government agency is targetting me are you really saying that your software will prevent them getting access to the microphone? The footer text makes me trust the product even less. I'm genuinely confused about this: what the fuck is going on? It feels like a mishmash of stuff. I'd be interested to know how many customers you get.
- loupereira 12y agoI agree, I changed the banner. That's how I originally purchased the site so I didn't make any changes to the home page including the claims. But I am confident in saying that the program can protect your webcam and microphone since I developed the current version from scratch. If anyone can prove me wrong feel free. This is a fun project about a real issue and concern. The previous owners were using clickbank to market it, hence the footer.
- reustle 12y ago> I changed the banner Yeah, now it says "No one" instead of "government agencies" which is still wrong. Government employees are someone, and they can still access it. Also, permission in that line is spelled wrong
- loupereira 12y agoYeah no one including government employees can access it unless they know the password of course. Thanks for the spelling correction.