{"id":52733,"date":"2024-12-05T05:32:31","date_gmt":"2024-12-05T10:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?p=52733"},"modified":"2024-12-05T05:32:31","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T10:32:31","slug":"webcam-stalking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/webcam-stalking\/52733\/","title":{"rendered":"Webcam stalking: fact or fiction?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just a decade ago, people who taped over their webcam were seen as a little eccentric, shall we say. Fast forward to today, and many laptop models feature a built-in privacy shutter<\/a> that lets you cover the webcam with a single swipe. Useful, yes \u2013 but if the mic is still on, the overall benefit is less clear. Is it still worth covering your webcam in 2024, or is such practice a relic of the past?<\/p>\n

Spies in the woodwork<\/h2>\n

Ever heard of spyware<\/a>? That\u2019s what we call Trojans designed for spying and stalking. And just like they did ten years ago, many members of this family are still spying on victims through their webcam and mic. Back then, however, malware was limited mostly to taking webcam screenshots, while today, besides this, it can steal passwords from the clipboard, intercept keystrokes, remotely control your device, and play cat-and-mouse with security solutions (but not with ours<\/a>). One example is the SambaSpy<\/a> Trojan, which was recently discovered by our experts.<\/p>\n

As for peeping, attackers\u2019 motives can vary: some are just voyeurs; others might organize commercial surveillance<\/a> against a CEO; still others might add such functionality to their malware on the off-chance that something interesting crops up.<\/p>\n

Tracking can take many forms, and we\u2019ve covered<\/a> them all many times. But how to defend yourself? There are many protection methods, but they can all be divided into two groups: physical and software. Meanwhile, for those without reliable protection<\/a>, covering the webcam, turning off the mic, and checking the permissions granted to newly installed programs is a no-brainer.<\/p>\n

How to physically guard against webcam and mic surveillance<\/h2>\n

Physical protection methods are both useful and inconvenient at the same time, and compromises have to be made to ensure your privacy. What to do?\u2026<\/p>\n

Buy a device without a webcam or mic<\/h3>\n

Just think: intruders won\u2019t be able to spy and eavesdrop even if they somehow get malware onto your device. But it\u2019s hard to find such devices these days, and in most cases they\u2019ll be either outdated or very low-performance. That said, some companies are modifying smartphones on the market by removing cameras: how do you like, for example, the non-camera iPhone<\/a>? Such devices are in high demand at government and military agencies and restricted-access facilities, and even by highly religious people.<\/p>\n

Disable the webcam and mic<\/h3>\n

Owners of desktop computers, nettops, or the above-mentioned laptop models without built-in webcam and mic can use external wired accessories. The most reliable option would be to disconnect them with a physical switch or pull them out of the socket when not in use. But there\u2019s a danger of laziness creeping in: some users won\u2019t bother doing it more than a couple of times, which is when RATs<\/a> and nasties<\/a> can appear.<\/p>\n

In addition, there are tons of online guides on how to physically disable the laptop webcam or mic yourself. But not all devices make the procedure painless: for example, modern MacBooks use the camera as a sensor, and go into Safe Mode if it\u2019s disabled<\/a>. And once it is disabled \u2013 there\u2019s no way back.<\/p>\n

Opt for a \u201csuper-private\u201d device<\/h3>\n

Some companies \u2013 such as Purism<\/a> \u2013 make laptops with hardware switches that let you physically turn off the camera, microphone, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth. However, they\u2019re expensive, and demanding users are often left dissatisfied with the features available.<\/p>\n

Cover the webcam<\/h3>\n

A good and common option \u2013 but not foolproof. Sure, it will thwart video surveillance, but the sound from the mic can still be potentially eavesdropped and used against you. Cover the microphone too? Modern laptops often have several mics to enhance sound quality, and taping over them all will be difficult. In some models, however, built-in microphones are disabled when you connect an external one. A life hack for them is to plug a dummy into the microphone jack (or the universal jack for mics and headphones). Your laptop will think that an external mic is connected and turn off all its built-in ones.<\/p>\n

Software protection against tracking<\/h2>\n

In most cases, software protection is more convenient than physical \u2013 but not always as reliable.<\/p>\n

Disable the built-in webcam and mic in the BIOS\/UEFI<\/h3>\n

On many PC-compatible laptops \u2013 especially business models \u2013 you can go into the BIOS<\/a>\/UEFI<\/a> settings at startup (if this sounds Greek to you, just scroll to the next method), find there the lines Integrated camera, Camera, Webcam, CMOS camera, Microphone<\/strong> or similar, and select Disabled<\/strong> mode. This is a good way to restrict laptop-based spying, but there\u2019s a catch: you\u2019ll have to reboot and undo everything should you ever need to video-call someone.<\/p>\n

Disable devices in the OS settings<\/h3>\n

On a Windows PC, you need to do this in Device Manager<\/strong>. In the Start<\/strong> menu, go to Device Manager<\/strong>, find there Cameras<\/strong> or Audio inputs and outputs<\/strong>, right-click the device you need and select Disable device<\/strong>. You can just as easily turn it back on later, if necessary. This is much faster than rebooting the computer every time and poking around in the BIOS \u2013 but where\u2019s the guarantee that a Trojan can\u2019t do the same thing and turn the camera back on?<\/p>\n

\"Disabling<\/a>

Disabling a built-in webcam and microphone in Windows Device Manager<\/p><\/div>\n

Control permissions<\/h3>\n

Android device owners can view information about dangerous and special permissions in the Permissions<\/a> section in Kaspersky for Android<\/a>: All functions<\/strong> \u2192 My apps \u2192 Permissions. <\/strong>This way, only apps authorized by you will have access to the camera and microphone.<\/p>\n

\"Viewing<\/a>

Viewing permissions in Kaspersky for Android<\/p><\/div>\n

iOS devices offer similar functionality. To check permissions, open the Settings and go to Privacy & Security<\/strong>. In the menu that opens, like in Android, you can view app permissions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Viewing<\/a>

Viewing permissions on iPhones<\/p><\/div>\n

Users of the Windows versions of our Kaspersky Standard<\/a>, Kaspersky Plus<\/a>\u00a0and Kaspersky Premium<\/a>\u00a0can protect their devices against webcam and microphone tracking with Webcam and Mic Control<\/a>, which lets you configure your own access settings: Gear icon at the bottom of the Home window<\/strong> \u2192 <\/strong>Privacy Settings<\/strong> \u2192 <\/strong>Webcam and Mic Control Settings<\/strong>. There you can ask Kaspersky<\/a>\u00a0to:<\/p>\n