Should You Cover Your Webcam?


webcam

If Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, covers up his webcam on a daily basis, should you? The answer just might be Yes.

A photo he himself posted on Facebook revealed this tiny fact to a number of super-observant people. Check the image out for yourself:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10102910644965951&set=a.612287952871.2204760.4&type=3
Notice anything? Some eagle-eyed fans did. They spotted that Zuckerberg had some tape over his work laptop’s built-in camera. (Hint: it’s in the middle left of the photo, behind the man and the frame he’s holding up.) Turns out his experience does give him good reason to do so.

Zuckerberg has some hacking experience under his belt from the early days of his social media brainchild, so I think it’s safe to say that it’s a prudent decision to consider this particular anti-hacking safety measure. Why? Any kind of webcam can be hacked, in one way or another. In fact the FBI does make it a habit of hacking into people’s computers to access their webcams for surveillance purposes. How legit is this? Well, consider that the FBI director also puts a tape over his webcam. Hmmm.

This means that anyone with a considerable knowledge of hacking will also be able to hack into your own webcam. Consider yourself warned — and preferably, forearmed.

Are phone cameras just as hackable? Well, technically they are. However, they’re actually much less of a concern, considering how when it’s not actively in use, it’s usually facing your back pocket, the dark insides of your bag, or more commonly face-down on a table’s surface. Plus, with the sandboxing of mobile operating systems, unless the presumed hacker has a deep, bested interest in the wood grain of your tale, or pictures of your cat or dog through a glass table surface, all the effort to punch through the code just might be too much trouble.

Feature image courtesy of Aksa2011
You may also enjoy:
How to Keep Your Social Media Accounts From Being Hacked
Why Hackers Are Paying Close Attention To Your Social Media Activity
The Snappening: Thousands Of Nude Snapchat Photos Hacked

 


Kokou Adzo

Kokou Adzo is a seasoned professional with a strong background in growth strategies and editorial responsibilities. Kokou has been instrumental in driving companies' expansion and fortifying their market presence. His academic credentials underscore his expertise; having studied Communication at the Università degli Studi di Siena (Italy), he later honed his skills in growth hacking at the Growth Tribe Academy (Amsterdam).

0 Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.