Is this even a possibility? Well, as it turns out, hacking a computer camera or microphone is probably one of the easiest hacks to do. Here’s the real scary part – with some Google research, even a 12-year-old with the right tools can actually accomplish this. That is not an exaggeration.
In fact, there are cybersecurity professionals who could infiltrate a laptop camera or mic once hired in a snap. That, by the way, would be on computers that have legitimate antivirus protection and installed firewalls.
So, that brings us to the question: Should you tape your camera or microphone? That answer should come from a little self-examination. If you honestly feel that your life is so important to someone else that they would find some form of enjoyment in watching you dance in front of your computer or the conversations you have with yourself or others as you play computer games, then take your direction from there.
There are exceptions.
Unless you happen to be a celebrity, or possibly a special VIP for cybercriminals, you really don’t have to worry about someone hacking into your computer camera or microphone. You may have seen pictures online of Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg that clearly show a laptop in the frame with both his camera and microphone taped. If you are as important and influential an individual like him, maybe it’s a good idea.
3 things about this photo of Zuck:
Camera covered with tape
Mic jack covered with tape
Email client is Thunderbird pic.twitter.com/vdQlF7RjQt— Chris Olson (@topherolson) June 21, 2016
In Zuckerberg’s defense, if anything recorded from his camera or microphone were in violation of his own company’s policies and rules that could result in some form of court action well, he’s just covering his butt and taking a few extra precautions. There is nothing wrong with that whatsoever. There is bound to be someone somewhere who would find whatever he does in the presence of his computer interesting and possibly even worthy of some form of blackmail. Hollywood stars probably do the same and have all of the cameras on their devices covered in one way or other.
So, if you are a high profile person, you may want to consider taking the same precaution. However, if you don’t anticipate someone ever trying to blackmail you for some reason, don’t bother.
There is a disclaimer here as well.
Cybercriminals are getting pretty good at what they do. They play in a playground – the internet – that happens to be a very unsafe place to be. That’s because it is not only populated by cyber criminals but millions of harmful computer viruses, malware and scripts also exist. There are new plagues spreading throughout the internet landscape, with ransomware being the newest and potentially most dangerous of them at this point. Expect that there are going to be even bigger threats developing in the not too distant future as hackers continue to improve their skills in order to crack into the more complex and ‘hack-proof’ forms of software being developed just to combat this kind of activity.
However, just like in the real world, there are ways to protect yourself from the threat of viruses or any other negative activity that can take place through the internet.
Your first line of defense is keeping all of your operating systems updated. This should include firewalls, antivirus protection, malware software and related tools designed to protect your system.
Also, you have to be careful what you do online, even if you have taken all of these precautions. Remember what you were told the first few times you started using the internet? Hopefully, you were instructed to be careful in all ways. This includes not downloading items that appear to be a bit sketchy.
Remember to not give out personal information unless you are 100-percent certain that it is to a legitimate source and even then be careful. Watch your email. Cybercriminals are very creative in the ways they send out viruses and email is a very good pathway to your computer. If the subject line does not make sense or the place of origin is not someone or some place you know, do not open it.
Be particularly careful when you receive emails notifying you that you won something or can receive a prize of some kind just by responding. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. There are countless internet scams flooding the bandwidth out there. Stay tuned in by checking websites that uncover hoaxes and scams so that you don’t fall for anything and end up leaving your computer and personal data vulnerable in any way.
If that includes putting tape on both the camera and microphone of your laptop computer, then you know that you have to do what you have to do.
Ultimately, you have to stay safe and protect yourself, your family and your home.