Put tape over your webcam

[InbetweenDreams]

Or put a program in place that required an password to activate the camera and always have a file labeled "passwords and bank info" which is actually a virus which wipes all info off of hackers putor

If only if it were that easy... Even if you put a password on whatever you use your webcam with doesn't stop from turning it on in the background. It is probably easier to hack a microphone since most sound cards have more set standards...

The thing is that people put a lot of personal information about themselves online, so cracking passwords, getting into your email, facebook, your wifi often aren't that hard to do...just takes the skill to know how to use the tools hackers use and being able to get people to talk...Social engineering is very efficient and effective...

[Jason111]

Isn't it great that we already live in George Orwell's novel?

[TigerLover]

Yup thats why I've got an external USB webcam for my laptop; couldn't be bothered to keep disabling and re-enabling my built in one.

Plus it allows for more creative camera angles.

[mrex]

yup thats why i've got an external usb webcam for my laptop; couldn't be bothered to keep disabling and re-enabling my built in one.



plus it allows for more creative camera angles.

lol .

[JohnMusic]

Webcams have built in microphones. Can people be hearing our every noise i wonder threw the webcam microphone?

[InbetweenDreams]

Webcams have built in microphones. Can people be hearing our every noise i wonder threw the webcam microphone?

Yes...

While I'm not a hacker but given my knowledge I would think it would be easier to find an exploit in the API under windows to access a microphone, because it doesn't have to be a webcam mic, can be any microphone plugged into your computer.

Once you load the driver software for a device, something like a sound card or camera there is a standard API, the API allows programmers to access a wide range of devices with the same code and libraries. Otherwise, programs would be huge to support each manufacturer's wide range of devices... The driver software does translation sort to speak...

[Pix]

So can the spyware or hacker make sense out of what is heard any better than automated phone lines? (Seems to me that speaking loudly, slowly, and clearly isn't good enough half the time.)

[InbetweenDreams]

So can the spyware or hacker make sense out of what is heard any better than automated phone lines? (Seems to me that speaking loudly, slowly, and clearly isn't good enough half the time.)

Probably so... I mean you have to think that someone doing this is after something..

I mean I would think that people hacking webcams are hoping to make sex shows or something. I really don't think it is very common for a lone wolf hacker...if anything does go on probably would be NSA/CIA/FBI type crap. Probably doesn't happen as often as we think since we humans like being paranoid...