How a webcam can be hacked?
Criminals can gain access to a webcam by using malware or Remote Administration Tools (RATs). Malware and RATs can be planted on your machine most commonly via infected files or malicious links, so being wary of what you click on whilst using the internet and opening emails is crucial.
Remote-access webcams are vulnerable to hacking like anything else connected to the internet, often by owners using default or weak passwords.
Should I cover my webcam?
You probably don’t use your webcam much and it’s easy to cover it with a little sticker or piece of sticky paper which you can simply temporarily remove when you need to use it. This will stop anyone being able to see you or take images of you via your webcam without you knowing about it.
Covering your webcam is one thing but if your webcam is hacked, that means your machine has been hacked and the attacker could be accessing all of your other information and / or using your machine as part of a DDoS botnet. So at the same time as covering your webcam, you should also:
- Be wary of clicking links and downloading documents when you browse the internet and read emails, texts, whatsapp messages, etc
- Use anti-virus and anti-malware software
- Keep devices and software up-to-date so that known bugs will be patched and can’t be exploited by attackers
- Don’t use unsecure public wifi where you could become the victim of a man-in-the-middle attack
- If you have a remote-access webcam, change the password from the default one. Use a strong password