Over the last few years, our integrated camera has become an ever more used device. Whether you have online meetings to attend or just want to hang out with friends, people use their camera a lot. As we know many devices have a built-in camera in their phones, laptops or desktops. Which people not only use for work, but also for social reasons.
Unfortunately, this leaves us as camera device owners quite vulnerable to an online attack called camfecting.
What is Camfecting?
Camfecting is when professional hackers take control of the camera. It’s a significant concern in today’s world. Camfecting is when a hacker disables the light next to your camera, e.g the light which indicates that your camera is active. When they disable the light, they can turn your camera on and you as a victim may not notice.
This doesn’t only happen with laptops, it also occurs with your phone camera. So, when you’re chilling in your swimwear in an inflatable bubble bath (Dutch: opblaasbaar bubbelbad) or wood-fired hot tub (Dutch: houtgestookte hottub), you don’t want some hacker spying on you.
How does this happen?
Camfecting can appear in your iPhone when there’s a security hole. These security holes can appear in the system via apps. And when you have a vulnerability on your iPhone, hackers can easily potentially break into it, though it should be noted that these hacks occur more often with Android phones.
What can you do against a security hole?
Phone
There are multiple ways to protect your Phone (whether that’s iPhone or Android). First of all, the app makers often close holes with their software-updates. That’s why it’s of most importance to immediately update an app when there is an update available. The second tip against a security hole is to only install apps from trusted vendors. The more apps you have installed on your phone the greater likelihood of compromise.
Laptop
On your laptop the same principles apply. Ensure that your operating system is patched with the latest security updates, as well as any third party applications. It is also recommended that you keep regular backups to ensure you can return to a safe state should the device be compromised.
Camera slider system
The last thing you can do to prevent camfecting, is to buy a camera cover. A simple camera slider system acts as an additional layer of reassurance. You can buy a slider for your laptop/phone camera from numerous online retailers.
Are you ready to fight Camfecting?
