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FBI director: Cover up your webcam

thehill.com

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Re: FBI director: Cover up your webcam

#61

Post by rpgmaker »

6t6t6t6 wrote: post #6

From all they ways I can be spied, the webcam is the one that concerns me the least. At the end, all they will see is a bearded man staring to the front. May they be able to see me naked? Well, probably, but I honestly don't think that they will make a lot of money by selling my naked pictures... My wife tells me that I still look good, but I suspect that she is being nice to me. What would scare more is that they ma…

On amazon there are cam blockers with a lid that allows you to block and unblock the cam.

Re: FBI director: Cover up your webcam

#63

Post by rootbear »

dingo_bat wrote: post #3

I have never covered my Webcam because I trust the light to come on if the camera turns on. Is it possible to bypass that led?

This is what I find ridiculous. Is there any real value in NOT hardwiring the camera power to the LED? Consumers should demand that the camera light not be under software control and that it always reflect the true power state of the camera. Something similar should be done with the microphone. There is no excuse for a situation where I have to put tape on my camera.

Re: FBI director: Cover up your webcam

#64

Post by boxkite »

throwanem wrote: post #46
boxkite wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if it was, most of the time when people are taking surveillance webcam photos (a hacker or a person trying to recover their stolen laptop) you can take the picture so quickly that they probably won't see the light.

Have you a source for that? My experience of laptop webcams is that they need at least a second or two after power on to initialize the camera. That'd be pretty noticeable if you're using the machine, at least.

I do! DEF CON 23 - Ken Westin - Confessions of a Professional Cyber Stalker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tyel1gfSjl4

Specifically around the 18:00 mark. Also he does provide source examples that you can ruin your computer with if you want.

He gets into a lot of it, but shows quite a few examples including what I'm talking about. The people that he catches aren't necessarily savvy, but he does talk about taking pictures fast enough for the light not to be visible.

Re: FBI director: Cover up your webcam

#65

Post by ctrlalt_g »

stephentmcm wrote: post #17
6t6t6t6 wrote: post #6

From all they ways I can be spied, the webcam is the one that concerns me the least. At the end, all they will see is a bearded man staring to the front. May they be able to see me naked? Well, probably, but I honestly don't think that they will make a lot of money by selling my naked pictures... My wife tells me that I still look good, but I suspect that she is being nice to me. What would scare more is that they ma…

This, unless you are going to open up every device around you and physically isolate all audio recording equipment, I fail to see how covering your webcam is much more than security theatre?

It's not strictly about security. Some people like to close their curtains at night not because they think it makes them safer, but because that level of exhibitionism seems weird to them. It's the same principle.

Re: FBI director: Cover up your webcam

#67

Post by TheSpiceIsLife »

dsfyu404ed wrote: post #51
Larrikin wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know that what the webcam captures is probably the least important thing a hacker can get but I do it because it is visible. Protecting your privacy should NOT be weird and a sticker over your webcam is a very visible way of showing that to the public. When people ask why I do it, its a good opportunity to educate them on the capabilities of the US government, other nation-state actors, and hackers in general. If t…

I agree. It's more of a statement than a meaningful security measure.

There should be a term for this.

Maybe something like 'security theatre'.

Re: FBI director: Cover up your webcam

#70

Post by sytse »

Natsu wrote: post #58
6t6t6t6 wrote: post #6

From all they ways I can be spied, the webcam is the one that concerns me the least. At the end, all they will see is a bearded man staring to the front. May they be able to see me naked? Well, probably, but I honestly don't think that they will make a lot of money by selling my naked pictures... My wife tells me that I still look good, but I suspect that she is being nice to me. What would scare more is that they ma…

I have a black laptop. I put a tiny piece of black electrical tape over it. I do lots of calls, but I've never seen a good reason to use video except perhaps with one's SO.

GitLab is a remote only company with 100+ team members. Most of my calls are with video, the nonverbal language adds to the conversation for me. It's not 90% but I prefer video to audio if possible.
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