Webcams are essential for today’s communication through desktops and laptops. But the same webcams causing privacy issues if the system got hacked or infected. We came across many incidents where hackers captured naked video footage from the systems they hacked.
How webcams hacked?
Any program such as Skype installed on the laptop can activate webcam and broadcast the captured images to the remote server. While browsing illegal, porn sites people accidently installs rogue browser extensions and software which take control every aspect of the computer. Remember that; any program can activate webcam if it has such functionality in the code written.
Disconnect or cover the Webcam
If you are using a webcam on your desktop computer, it is the best idea to unplug the webcam when not using it. People feel it discomfort to unplug and plug the webcam repeatedly whenever they want it. But the negligence can lead to webcam hacking. So never connect webcam continuously to the desktop computer.
A webcam on the laptop itself equipped onto the motherboard so that you can’t disconnect it. So it is a good idea to cover it with a small plastic tape or sticker. We can disable webcam through the Windows Device Manager or the BIOS. You can purchase webcam covers specially available to close the laptop webcam on the Amazon.