Should I Put a Piece of Tape Over My Laptop Camera Lens?
- December 09, 2020
- Bradley Taylor
A lot of people will laugh at this question. Somehow not only do they assume that hacking a computer is really hard to do, but they also think nobody would bother to do it. But in today’s environment of ransomware, and with there being an abundance of cyber-criminals, the opposite holds true.
The fact of the matter is that hackers can take over your webcam. Some apps and many emails a person receives are not secure. These can leave backdoors into your machine. And if you share your computer with another person or multiple people, your risk of being hacked goes up exponentially.
Ransomware cost the world’s citizens over $11.5 billion in 2019 alone. That number is up from $8B in 2018 (thesslstore.com). Hackers can get into your computer or website and take it over. They then have access to every file within that computer. They will contact you demanding you pay a fee to get access to your machine back (usually demanding a Bitcoin ransom). But guess what – they have already downloaded your images and have probably shared them on darkweb servers. With this type of access they are also able to turn on your webcam and spy on you. This all sounds like some sci-fi movie I know, but it is true. Check out this article for proof.
How Can I Protect Myself from Ransomware and Web Cam Hacking?
- Make sure your security software is always up to date and that it is set to regularly scan your computer.
- Make sure that any apps you have are up to date. And if they are no longer supported from the app store, then delete them.
- Change passwords regularly. The number one way hackers get into any system is by exploiting an old or simple password.
- Yes, put a piece of tape or post-it note over your webcam. The chance of a hacker getting access to your webcam is pretty low but the piece of mind this simple task can bring is well worth the effort.
