“Hello World!”
Today may be a bit of an eye-opener to some people and a reinforcement of a point to others. That point is that you should absolutely cover up your computer’s camera. Now some people will already have their cameras covered with the reasoning of “because I saw someone else do it” and others may not know or may not even care. Here are a few reasons why you should care.
Firstly a bit of backstory, I am a software engineering student and an application developer for United States Steel. I came to college loving computers and now find myself leaving college fearing them equally as much. A computer is the most complicated tool that was ever created and like any other tool, requires caution when using. Now I can go step by step of how to send malicious files to computers and access commands on your computer with Metasploit or other software. But because I don’t want to bore you to death… I’ll give you an analogy!
Do you have curtains or blinds on your windows? I would assume you do. Curtains have multiple uses but first and foremost is privacy (or to keep the sun out when you’re trying to get a few more minutes of sleep in the morning). You wouldn’t want people to be looking at you in the comfort of your home without permission. Now, why do people with fences still have curtains for privacy? This may seem a bit rhetorical, but obviously, you wouldn’t trust your fence to keep people out. Your computer is very similar to your house but with a computer, many assume that just the fence is good enough.
Software engineers are told to keep sensitive data separate from the application because your system WILL be compromised at some point, no matter how much security that you pump into your system. How do compromises happen? Opening up an email from someone you don’t know, clicking links on certain advertisements, streaming movies from unreputable sights, putting your information into… anything really.
Point is, it is actually really easy to let someone into your system if you’re not careful. I’ve written programs that send messages to people with an email address that they would recognize. It takes around 20 minutes to set up and then I can just email harmful files to basically anyone. Now if a college student with little experience can do it, imagine the capabilities of someone with 20 years of experience and a bad intention could do. I’ve seen websites where people can actually go and buy hacking software to use against people.
“For just $40, the Blackshades RAT (Remote Access Tool) enabled anyone, anywhere in the world to instantly become a dangerous cybercriminal and invade your privacy,” – Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
According to Bharara, Blackshades was sold in more than 100 countries and infected more than 500,000 computers worldwide in 2014. This virus was also used against a former Miss Teen USA to get photos of her changing and then were used to blackmail her.
But you know what an incredibly advanced computer virus, that can slice right through millions and millions of dollars of software security to gain access to your camera can’t go through? A piece of tape. Ironic. Yet it’s something that some people won’t do… Defend yourselves!