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Don't close your MacBook with a cover over the camera

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Re: Don't close your MacBook with a cover over the camera

#61

Post by etaioinshrdlu »

noja wrote: post #35
etaioinshrdlu wrote: post #15

> The camera is engineered so that it can’t activate without the camera indicator light also turning on. Has anyone torn down the hardware and verified this lately? It should not be a complicated feature at all. Just ensure you have the same voltage applied to your LED circuit as your camera circuit, and enforce that by having them on the same wire...

Wait: that's not the same as having a camera cover. A camera cover guarantees that the camera can only work when the camera is uncovered. A camera light alerts you once the camera is already on .

That's a great point. Maybe there should be a touch-sensitive button up by the camera to turn it on.

Re: Don't close your MacBook with a cover over the camera

#62

Post by godelski »

kilo_bravo_3 wrote: post #27
whywhywhywhy wrote: post #6

Half of my office has camera covers, honestly at this point I'd have a lot of respect for any maker who had a physical mechanism to their camera... Sort of like the original iSight https://www.coolsmartphone.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/is...

I've never understood physical covers, then again I am never in a compromising position in front of my laptop. Any malware that can take pictures can record keystrokes. I want no cover so I can see the activity light because knowing the webcam is on is more important than it being on. The (pennsylvania?) school district webcam spying scandal got kicked off because a boy noticed his webcam light coming on. If it had b…

I don't understand why people have window curtains and close them at night. If you have them closed then you can't see the person spying on you outside. Door locks are more important.

This is what you sound like. The things can be used in conjunction with one another. It is not an or scenario, you can have both. You can also have covers which don't cover the indicator. You use different deterrent mechanisms for different threats. It is as simple as that.

Re: Don't close your MacBook with a cover over the camera

#64

Post by gist »

zdragnar wrote: post #38
toxik wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fud, these don’t work anymore.

The fact that they worked at all is an indication that something similar may work in the future. It's not like apple has never had a regression in software.

Risk to the average apple customer is? Do you think that most people need to worry about this? Point Apple is making is it's not needed for the vast majority of their users and if you feel better use a piece of paper.

So let's stipulate it can happen (because well it can happen). That would take both someone being targeted en masse (prior to apple having a fix in place) and it making a difference to the person or people it happened to. Is that really a big enough risk to spend time worrying about?

Re: Don't close your MacBook with a cover over the camera

#65

Post by teekert »

ziddoap wrote: post #5
teekert wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's just a warning. You can ignore it, you may damage your display. Nothing more, nothing less.

Which is sort of the definition of having your customers cater to you instead of you catering to your customers.

So you're catering to Siemens when you refrain from putting your dog in the microwave?

Re: Don't close your MacBook with a cover over the camera

#67

Post by gist »

adrianmonk wrote: post #60
toxik wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fud, these don’t work anymore.

I don't think they are saying that a vulnerability currently exists. I think they are saying that people don't trust these lights because they have a bad track record. It could be that the current implementation is better, but how is an end user supposed to know it's better? It's kind of a matter of fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.

> that people don't trust these lights because they have a bad track record.

No tech people who think about and obsess about this type of 'risk' don't trust the lights. Most Apple customers vast majority don't think and don't care.

Re: Don't close your MacBook with a cover over the camera

#70

Post by markstos »

noja wrote: post #35
etaioinshrdlu wrote: post #15

> The camera is engineered so that it can’t activate without the camera indicator light also turning on. Has anyone torn down the hardware and verified this lately? It should not be a complicated feature at all. Just ensure you have the same voltage applied to your LED circuit as your camera circuit, and enforce that by having them on the same wire...

Wait: that's not the same as having a camera cover. A camera cover guarantees that the camera can only work when the camera is uncovered. A camera light alerts you once the camera is already on .

Important distinction. If your microphone is compromised, your web cam might be triggered to turn on just long enough to take a photo, or the camera could turn on only when the mic is quiet and there are indications the person is not engaged with the computer.
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