IS IT EASY TO GET HACKED INTO YOUR WEBCAM?
In an article titled Hiding your webcam with plaster: is it serious? the steps of hacking a PC remotely are detailed, from creating the virus to taking control of the computer. Reading this post, you can see that it is not so difficult (with a little maliciousness at the base of course), to steal a photo or a video remotely from the webcam of a computer.
In short, the test consisted of creating a Trojan*, sending it to the victim PC and activating it (triggering the infection) to then take control of the machine remotely. The result is striking: downloading photos, spying on keyboard entries (so reading passwords is possible) and finally taking control of the webcam (audio, photo and video)… The only limits are those of the hacker’s creativity.
As you can see, it is relatively easy to have data stolen. On the other hand, if you are dealing with hackers, it is unlikely that they will take the time to steal your photos or make videos of you behind your screen (of course, if you are an influential or responsible person, the statistics increase). Instead, hackers will use your computer’s computing power or aim to steal your passwords or credit card data. And if you’re Mark Zuckerberg, you’re blowing up the odds that the same hackers will want to listen to you or film you… and you’d better hide your webcam and microphone with tape!
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM ATTACKS?
In general, there are rules to follow to minimize the risk of infection and data theft:
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update its system and software;
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Do not download content from an untrusted source (email attachment, hacked software…);
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install an anti-virus;
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never reuse a password;
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… and I’ll let you decide if you’re going to stick a little piece of tape on your webcam or disable the microphone of your Mac (if you have one).