{"id":52064,"date":"2018-01-01T19:49:19","date_gmt":"2018-01-01T19:49:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bnreport.com\/if-you-dont-cover-your-webcam-you-could-end-up-a-slave\/"},"modified":"2018-01-01T19:49:19","modified_gmt":"2018-01-01T19:49:19","slug":"if-you-dont-cover-your-webcam-you-could-end-up-a-slave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bnreport.com\/en\/if-you-dont-cover-your-webcam-you-could-end-up-a-slave\/","title":{"rendered":"If you don\u2019t cover your webcam you could end up a \u2018slave\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"jen<\/a><\/p>\n

\"If
Someone could be watching you (Picture: Metro\/Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mark Zuckerberg does it. The FBI does it. And you should do it too.<\/strong><\/p>\n

No, not collecting mass amounts of data through surveillance \u2013 this is about webcams, and how you could be letting people around the world into your bedroom without having any idea you\u2019re doing it.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to imagine it\u2019s paranoid to tape over your webcam, or paint over it with nail varnish.<\/p>\n

But if you don\u2019t, you could end up some hacker\u2019s \u2018slave\u2019.<\/p>\n

To find out exactly what could happen we spoke to security expert Candid Wueest, who works with Symantec.<\/p>\n

He said there are whole communities where people boast about the unsuspecting users whose computers they have taken control of and who they watch for fun.<\/p>\n

\"If
There are secret forums where people discuss those they control (Picture: Symantec)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"If
People just laughed at this poster who expressed sympathy (Picture: Symantec)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Often they will have no idea that they\u2019re under surveillance, and that their daily activities are being uploaded to web forums where hackers ridicule them for being \u2018stupid\u2019 enough to be vulnerable.<\/p>\n

Don't panic everyone but WhatsApp is DOWN and it's New Year's Eve<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018Unfortunately there are some people just doing it for the fun of it, having power over others,\u2019 Candid said.<\/p>\n

The way it works is that people somehow download malware onto their laptop \u2013 often by clicking a suspicious link \u2013 which installs software to take over the computer.<\/p>\n

Hackers can then see everything you visit online, what you type on the keyboard, the files you open, and they can control your webcam and microphone.<\/p>\n

\"If
Don\u2019t worry, he \u2018just spied on them and then left them alone\u2019 (Picture: Symantec)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"If
Interesting ethics here (Picture: Symantec)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some try to make money out of it, for example via \u2018sextortion\u2019 (if someone masturbates in front of a laptop, hackers can threaten to post the video on your Facebook and LinkedIn if you don\u2019t pay a ransom).<\/p>\n

But some just get kicks out of being able to see people, having a keyhole into their lives which they don\u2019t know about.<\/p>\n

Suddenly I don\u2019t feel so complacent about my laptop, which could be \u2018a CCTV camera watching everything I do, not controlled by me\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"If
Some just get kicks out of being able to watch people (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018There\u2019s an underground economy, forums where people brag about how many people have fallen victim,\u2019 Candid said.<\/p>\n

If hackers control the speakers, they can play haunting noises or voices while you\u2019re in front of the laptop, just to watch how you react.<\/p>\n

\u2018If they have someone who really freaked out or cried in front of the machine, they boast about that,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s one of the ugliest types of cyber bullying we\u2019ve seen.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"If<\/p>\n

Candid Wueest said taping over the camera is one of the simplest but most effective ways to protect yourself.<\/p>\n

\u2018I cover up mine, on all my laptops, and just uncover it when I need to use it,\u2019 he told Metro.co.uk.<\/p>\n

The risk is real. Hackers can use malware to compromise your machine. Besides stealing credit card details, they can spy on you.<\/p>\n

How to keep your computer safe<\/h3>\n