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Research shows how MacBook Webcams can spy on their users without warning

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Research shows how MacBook Webcams can spy on their users without warning

#161

Post by midas007 »

winstonx wrote: post #153
Lagged2Death wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not difficult, but it makes the system unflexible... Um. That would be exactly the point of doing it, in this case. The camera indicator (and the microphone indicator that every laptop should but currently does not have) should be completely inflexible. What "flexibility" is added by having an indicator that only sort-of indicates, anyway?

I'm freaked out there's no microphone indicator.

There needs to be a LittleSnitch for I/O (camera, mic, USB, Thunderbolt, FireWire and Bluetooth)

Re: Research shows how MacBook Webcams can spy on their users without warning

#162

Post by hnriot »

sneak wrote: post #135
x0054 wrote: post #9

Honestly, I don’t understand why it’s so difficult to create a camera chip not susceptible to any software hack. The camera sensor needs electrical current to work. Simply place the LED inline or in parallel to the camera and you are done. Any time current is sent to the camera sensor, the LED cant help it but light up. My knowledge of electronics is limited, but I know for a fact that this can be achieved without th…

> Simply place the LED inline or in parallel to the camera and you are done. Any time current is sent to the camera sensor, the LED cant help it but light up. So, upon (my incorrectly) presuming this was how it's already done in hardware and reading the headline of the article before I got to the text, I assumed they were turning it on and taking a single frame and turning it off fast enough that the LED was only on…

it is just as simple as put the LED in parallel, if you want it to stay on for a "little while" put a capacitor in circuit too. Extremely basic EE.

Re: Research shows how MacBook Webcams can spy on their users without warning

#163

Post by elwell »

x0054 wrote: post #9

Honestly, I don’t understand why it’s so difficult to create a camera chip not susceptible to any software hack. The camera sensor needs electrical current to work. Simply place the LED inline or in parallel to the camera and you are done. Any time current is sent to the camera sensor, the LED cant help it but light up. My knowledge of electronics is limited, but I know for a fact that this can be achieved without th…

A hammer used to smash the camera component has been effective with this issue.

Re: Research shows how MacBook Webcams can spy on their users without warning

#164

Post by NickSharp »

elwell wrote: post #163
x0054 wrote: post #9

Honestly, I don’t understand why it’s so difficult to create a camera chip not susceptible to any software hack. The camera sensor needs electrical current to work. Simply place the LED inline or in parallel to the camera and you are done. Any time current is sent to the camera sensor, the LED cant help it but light up. My knowledge of electronics is limited, but I know for a fact that this can be achieved without th…

A hammer used to smash the camera component has been effective with this issue.

No need for a hammer, I use tape.

Re: Research shows how MacBook Webcams can spy on their users without warning

#165

Post by NickSharp »

Theodores wrote: post #79
x0054 wrote: post #9

Honestly, I don’t understand why it’s so difficult to create a camera chip not susceptible to any software hack. The camera sensor needs electrical current to work. Simply place the LED inline or in parallel to the camera and you are done. Any time current is sent to the camera sensor, the LED cant help it but light up. My knowledge of electronics is limited, but I know for a fact that this can be achieved without th…

Having an inline LED is still a bit over-engineered in my opinion. The earliest standalone webcams, for instance Logitech models and the IndyCam that came with the Silicon Graphics 'Indy' workstation, had a 'door' that you could slide over the lens when not in use. Lenovo had this on their all in one PC's a few years ago but I don't think they kept that feature. What was wrong with the slide-across lens cover? You wo…

Two words: Masking tape.

Re: Research shows how MacBook Webcams can spy on their users without warning

#166

Post by [deleted] »

Theodores wrote: post #79
x0054 wrote: post #9

Honestly, I don’t understand why it’s so difficult to create a camera chip not susceptible to any software hack. The camera sensor needs electrical current to work. Simply place the LED inline or in parallel to the camera and you are done. Any time current is sent to the camera sensor, the LED cant help it but light up. My knowledge of electronics is limited, but I know for a fact that this can be achieved without th…

Having an inline LED is still a bit over-engineered in my opinion. The earliest standalone webcams, for instance Logitech models and the IndyCam that came with the Silicon Graphics 'Indy' workstation, had a 'door' that you could slide over the lens when not in use. Lenovo had this on their all in one PC's a few years ago but I don't think they kept that feature. What was wrong with the slide-across lens cover? You wo…

[deleted]

Re: Research shows how MacBook Webcams can spy on their users without warning

#167

Post by nemothekid »

Mindless2112 wrote: post #69
AlisdairSH wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

99% of computer users have no idea what you just typed. HDD light blinking? That means it's working correctly. Am I right?

Sure, but that remaining 1% is who those 99% go to when their computer isn't working properly.

In anycase, if I wanted to know if my drive was being trashed, I'd look at command like 'top'.

If people can perform remote admin on machines 1000s of miles away without the need of green LEDs, I'm sure consumer tech will do just fine.

Re: Research shows how MacBook Webcams can spy on their users without warning

#168

Post by midas007 »

nexttimer wrote: post #38

As usual - what's possible to exploit will be exploited. There's really only 1 solid solution to this: Open software and open hardware.

Hear, hear.

Also applies to crypto-accelerated CPU instructions.

With OSS and OSH, at least there's a chance of auditing what one has is what was released, and a chance to audit that there's no funny business going on.

Re: Research shows how MacBook Webcams can spy on their users without warning

#169

Post by arrrg »

FireBeyond wrote: post #51
wmeredith wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's such an obvious solution that I really thought that WAS the case until just now. Why in the world would you tackle this problem any other way?

Well, Apple and supporters (obligatory disclaimer: I own, and love, my rMBP, iPhone 5, and have two iPads in my house) have claimed that it was the case, and that it was physically impossible not to. Then again, Apple’s marketing for the iPhone 5s made many claims of “subdermal fields”, “RF micro fields produced by the human body”, and how, as a result, it couldn’t be faked. Except it could. Fairly easily. And withou…

“… and how, as a result, it couldn’t be faked.”

Except, you know, they never actually said that.

Re: Research shows how MacBook Webcams can spy on their users without warning

#170

Post by ancarda »

sirkneeland wrote: post #113
dunham wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe unload/delete the kernel module? (This is how I used to silence the pcspkr beep on Linux.)

But how do we do that on the more and more locked-down computing appliances consumers gravitate towards? One does not simply unload/delete kernel module on an iPad...

Recent versions of iOS ask for permission to use the microphone.
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