Covering your laptop camera: would you do it?

23-06-2016 10:50AM #1

I would have thought this would be a bit too paranoid but I just read this New York Times article -
Mark Zuckerberg Covers His Laptop Camera. You Should Consider It, Too. - from yesterday talking about that tweet on the picture of Mark Zukerberg next to his laptop, observing that he had the camera and microphone covered.

The scary part of the article is how easy it is for anybody to record you by remote access: 'The taped-over camera and microphone jack are usually a signal that someone is concerned, perhaps only vaguely, about hackers’ gaining access to his or her devices by using remote-access trojans — a process called “ratting.” ... The practice is fairly technologically simple: Hackers trick people into clicking on links or unfamiliar websites containing malware that allows them access to the devices.

If it's this easy to start recording people in their own home via their laptop camera, would you consider covering that camera?

Winterlong · 23-06-2016 10:52AM

Why anyone would want to record me and what I get up to in my own home is beyond me!!

Barry Badrinath · 23-06-2016 10:54AM

No

Just the same with the cameras on your phone.

Careful with the apps you download.

ohnonotgmail · 23-06-2016 10:56AM

TBH if somebody did manage to hijack the webcam on my laptop the only victim would be them.

ampleforth · 23-06-2016 10:56AM

I always wear something funny and dance spontaneously in my apartment in case somebody is watching...

23-06-2016 10:58AM

No

Winterlong wrote: »

Why anyone would want to record me and what I get up to in my own home is beyond me!!

Me also. But there are now many examples of people losing jobs, court cases etc for what has appeared online about them. Your life could be in a very different place in five or ten years and somebody could have been recording you. Even if you're a minor county councillor, somebody could easily start recording what's going on in your private life if it's as simple to do as that NYT's article says it is. An entire market could emerge down the road in this sort of stuff. Better safe than sorry.

23-06-2016 11:01AM

No

Thinking of all the links I click on and I'm wondering would the average Norton/AVG/Avast scan identify this sort of malware, or would it be possible for it to remain on your laptop without being identified? (I scan the laptop completely once a week). Is there any product which could spot such malware immediately?

crusha101 · 23-06-2016 11:02AM

There is a huge difference between spying on a billionaire tech entrepreneur who uses his laptop to plan the expansion of his business and spying on a part time brickie from tallaght who uses his laptop to find budget all inclusive holidays.

23-06-2016 11:08AM

No

crusha101 wrote: »

There is a huge difference between spying on a billionaire tech entrepreneur who uses his laptop to plan the expansion of his business and spying on a part time brickie from tallaght who uses his laptop to find budget all inclusive holidays.

From the article: '“For people who are not C.E.O.s, the threat is people scanning the internet for accessible webcams for a range of motives, from voyeurism to extortion,” Mr. Cobb wrote in an email.' The brickie in Tallaght could be pricing a deal that a competitor wants to secure... he could be fiddling his taxes... he could be having an affair...he could be the politician/planning official-bribing property developer of the future.

beach_walker · 23-06-2016 11:10AM

No

I always have mine (on my laptop) covered when not in use. At work, have (well had) my webcam pointed at the roof when not on a call.

Jawgap · 23-06-2016 11:11AM

If somebody 'rats' my iPad they're quite likely to catch me on the bog!!!

that'll learn them quick enough

:D:D:D

Sh1tbag OToole · 23-06-2016 11:13AM

I would just disconnect the little miniscule USB plug inside the laptop. Much tidier than messing around with unreliable tape

Winterlong · 23-06-2016 11:16AM

Deleted User wrote: »

Me also. But there are now many examples of people losing jobs, court cases etc for what has appeared online about them. Your life could be in a very different place in five or ten years and somebody could have been recording you. Even if you're a minor county councillor, somebody could easily start recording what's going on in your private life if it's as simple to do as that NYT's article says it is. An entire market could emerge down the road in this sort of stuff. Better safe than sorry.

Nah, too many people want us to be afraid and live our lives in fear.
I certainly wont be living my life in fear and covering up any of the 7 odd cameras on various devices in my home.
No fear man!

Thoie · 23-06-2016 11:16AM

No

I keep a trimmed down post-it over the camera of my work laptop, for the simple reason that I work from home, and we use Lync a lot for meetings. The post-it just ensures that if I accidentally click on the video instead of audio or screen share that I don't scare my colleagues.

If I want to do a video meeting, I just take the post-it off, but because it's a deliberate action I can check how I look/what's in the background before I remove it.

Agricola · 23-06-2016 11:16AM

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

I would just disconnect the little miniscule USB plug inside the laptop. Much tidier than messing around with unreliable tape

Stop blinding us with your technobabble!

Sh1tbag OToole · 23-06-2016 11:19AM

Agricola wrote: »

Stop blinding us with your technobabble!

Just horse the laptop into that volcano in Iceland that's about to go off. Problem sorted.

HensVassal · 23-06-2016 11:21AM

Sh1tbag OToole wrote: »

I would just disconnect the little miniscule USB plug inside the laptop. Much tidier than messing around with unreliable tape

Bit of a pain in the bollocks having to crack open the laptop each time you want to skype someone.

suicide_circus · 23-06-2016 11:22AM

I destroy my laptop with a golf club after each use on account of it being covered in filthy germs. It's a very expensive practice but gives me peace of mind.

23-06-2016 11:23AM

No

HensVassal wrote: »

Bit of a pain in the bollocks having to crack open the laptop each time you want to skype someone.

hehe.

gramar · 23-06-2016 11:24AM

suicide_circus wrote: »

I destroy my laptop with a golf club after each use on account of it being covered in filthy germs sperms. It's a very expensive practice but gives me peace of mind.

Fyp :pac:

Duggy747 · 23-06-2016 11:25AM

I just wear my tinfoil hat to upset the frequencies from the moon base.

aphex™ · 23-06-2016 11:25AM

No

Been doing it for a few years since I heard webcam hacking and html5 exploits were a thing.

Dial Hard · 23-06-2016 11:27AM

All anyone would see if they hacked into my laptop camera is me sitting in front of it at work or possibly updating my iTunes. Scandalous. I don't leave the laptop on when I'm not using it, let alone on and open.

AndyBoBandy · 23-06-2016 11:27AM

No

We all do it with our work laptops,

The problem is when your out & about, and joining a conf call with a webex meeting,

When you open the webex meeting, it turns on your camera by default (but doesn't broadcast to the room, (though you see yourself)), but a wrong click somewhere and suddenly your camera is broadcasting to 100-200 people in the meeting!!

it does be very funny because there's always a good few have their cameras on, and some don't even realise it.

Speedwell · 23-06-2016 11:31AM

No

My boss in IT used to insist we keep the cam covered by a bit of Post-It unless it was actually in use. Apparently someone in corporate IT had written into the seldom-read computer use policy that the company could access the cam whenever they saw fit, and my boss heard that that person was in the habit of taking advantage of the policy for his own entertainment.

pajor · 23-06-2016 11:32AM

No

I've had a little plastic stick on slider cover over my laptop webcam for about 2 years now. I got it off eBay. Got my gf one too.

Though if someone hacked into my webcam they would not like what they see anyway. :pac:

aphex™ · 23-06-2016 11:34AM

No

Dial Hard wrote: »

All anyone would see if they hacked into my laptop camera is me sitting in front of it at work or possibly updating my iTunes. Scandalous. I don't leave the laptop on when I'm not using it, let alone on and open.

Its that people can blackmail others (mostly happens to teenagers) and threaten them to send the stuff to family/ friends on facebook etc. Could just be images of people getting changed.

silverharp · 23-06-2016 11:37AM

in the movies the little light always come on?

Duggy747 · 23-06-2016 11:39AM

Poll is public.............OP is trying to gauge which webcams to log into.

Sneaky bastard :pac:

23-06-2016 11:41AM

No

Speedwell wrote: »

My boss in IT used to insist we keep the cam covered by a bit of Post-It unless it was actually in use. Apparently someone in corporate IT had written into the seldom-read computer use policy that the company could access the cam whenever they saw fit, and my boss heard that that person was in the habit of taking advantage of the policy for his own entertainment.

Fúcking hell. Hadn't even thought of that. If they wanted to target you for dismissal with a bit of selective editing that's a useful resource.

Maximus Alexander · 23-06-2016 11:53AM

If someone gets their kicks out of watching a 30 year old Dublin lad play video games or write software they can go ahead and pull the stomachs off themselves so long as I remain oblivious.

Covering your laptop camera: would you do it?

For security reasons, would you consider covering your laptop camera? 41 votes

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