Ever since Skype has been introduced, webcams have become less of a facility and more of a necessity. Every one of us either has a relative or a friend living far enough to be visited now and then. At such times, video chat comes to the rescue! It lets us visit the person, virtually if not literally, whenever we want. While we get to talk to our loved ones and see them whenever we want, we forget that with every pro comes a con.
After video calling, people leave their laptops and their webcams on. This gave rise to a new form of hacking; WEBCAM HACKING!
Imagine someone speculating on you as you sit on your computer and socialize with your friends (gives me the creeps). While we sit here and enjoy video calling, hackers have a gone a step ahead with their malicious hacking. There have been cases in the US, where people have lost their peace of mind, had breakups, and been victimized and forced to pay a heavy ransom to let go of their personal details and possessions by the hacker. Webcam hacking has gotten uglier than we can think.
Oversight – specifically engineered for MAC
There are various apps out there which let us avoid such a blasphemy from happening. Oversight is one of those apps that protects your webcam from catching any malware or being hacked by a third party. It is designed for MAC only and does not support Windows devices. The engineers of oversight, NSA, are constantly looking for malwares designed to hack MAC webcams and update the app to be effective against them.
However, there is a loophole and i.e. if hackers aim at oversight instead of targeting your webcam directly, they can easily bypass the security app. So, what now? How to secure your webcams?
Secure your webcams with these fool-proof tips!
These tips are effective for Windows as well as MACs and with a combination of all these, there is no way the hacker can get into your privacy without any prior permissions.
1. Usage of a good Antivirus
Antivirus, as the name suggests, works against the threats and viruses which may cause harm to your computer. As for your webcam, it prevents unidentified access to your webcam. If you can get your hands on the latest antivirus software, it is even better as they feature webcam monitoring facility to prevent any such harms.
2. Tape it up!
Laptop users usually rely on their laptops’ webcam for video calling, etc. Once they are done, they can simply cover their webcam with a small piece of tape while making sure it is opaque. This is Mark Zuckerberg’s little secret to his webcam security as well.
3. Unplug your webcams
For PC users, who usually connect an external webcam to relish video facilities; once you are done with your task, unplug the webcam from your PC.
4. Don’t click on suspicious links and emails
Hackers feed on malicious emails and download links. Most of the hacking reported until now is done through unidentified emails and download links. The emails can be sent via Gmail, Microsoft and even through social media. Do not open links or emails from an unidentified source!
5. Protect your Wi-Fi
Choose a smart username and password for your WiFi network and not something like “45678”. Go for an alphanumeric combination and don’t share your password with random people. Sharing your password with everyone is like giving access to your network security yourself and inviting hackers.
6. VPN is the new “IN”
Virtual Private Network is a new way of keeping your information confidential. Nowadays usage of VPN is gaining popularity and there are various software built to let you explore via VPN and watch HD videos. You may opt for browsers that offer built-in VPN service as well to enhance your network security.
Use a combination of the tips mentioned above to enhance your webcam’s security and remember to tape it up after you are done with your video calling sessions.
Stay Safe Paklappers!
