Some argue that there is a fine line between safety awareness and paranoia, but in today’s world of growing malware and hacking threats, the simple act of covering up your webcam when it is not in use can provide a little extra piece of mind. If you don’t know whether doing so is worthwhile for you or your company, read on to learn more.
The Risks and Concern
It’s plain to see that the internet offers criminals with a multitude of opportunities to take advantage of unsuspecting computer users and the businesses who depend on them. The risk of leaving your web camera uncovered is a seemingly minimal one, but as has been seen in such cases as the extortion of Miss Teen USA back in 2013, hackers are able to access webcams of computers infected with spyware and secretly enable the camera without the user being aware.
Hackers who gain access to computers through a trojan horse virus or something called clickjacking can spy directly on the computer user. They can take advantage of human behavior through blackmail or other invasions of privacy. Governments are even known to use such tactics to track and spy on specific targets. The FBI has in fact publicly acknowledged its ability to employ such techniques when investigating criminal activity. The privacy concerns are obvious considering that such activities are so prevalent.
Why You May Want to Cover Up
In the case of the beauty queen, the victim informed the FBI and won a prison sentence for the man who took photos of her using her own webcam. But investigators believe there are many, many other victims who don’t even know they were subject to hacking. The average computer user doesn’t know how prevalent webcam hacking really is. The likelihood that someone will access an uncovered webcam is relatively low, but so is the chance that a burglar will enter your home if you leave the front door unlocked. It’s still a good idea to reduce your risk and lock up. Considering this, simply covering your webcam seems like a reasonable way to protect yourself.
How to Protect Yourself
While there are plenty of aesthetically pleasing solutions available on the market today, a simple sticker or piece of tape over your webcam will do the trick. However, it is also important to be aware of the digital vulnerabilities you expose yourself to simply by going about your business online. Phishing and other attempts by hackers to access passwords or personal information are generally easy to recognize and avoid. Use common sense when clicking on suspicious links or downloading attachments from unknown or untrustworthy sources. Keep all anti-spyware and virus protection up to date on your personal and business computers. When it comes to digital security, it’s hard to justify avoiding taking reasonable actions to protect your information and privacy.
About Happy Faces Records Management
At HF Services, our imaging, destruction and recycling services make it easy to keep your data safe from prying eyes. We scan your documents to provide secure storage and destroy hard copies to protect privacy. Our processes conform to government regulations and consider environmental concerns.
HF Services provides highly secure shredding services and technologies that include a patented process for the shredding and recycling of medical film. Whether you are destroying paper-based documents or computers, digital media or other electronic items, our processes adapt to fit the needs of the items being destroyed.
