Protection against spying — will taping a laptop camera help?

In the digital age, where cyber espionage and hacking have become commonplace, many people are choosing to cover the webcams on their laptops. Some celebrities, such as Mark Zuckerberg and former FBI Director James Comey, have publicly admitted to taping their cameras, which has only intensified the debate in society.

NV writes about whether it is necessary to tape your laptop camera.

Is there any point in taping a laptop webcam?

Cybersecurity experts confirm that webcams are one of the potential attack vectors, as malware (the so-called "RAT", such as Blackshades or Poison Ivy) can switch on the camera without your knowledge. In a number of cases, hackers have been monitoring people for months, obtaining their personal data and compromising video.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that even popular video conferencing platforms can contain vulnerabilities. For example, in 2020, apps like Zoom were targeted due to encryption flaws that were exploited by hackers. Although corporations release security updates, without regular updates, the risk of remaining unprotected is quite high.

The most obvious tactic is to simply cover the camera with tape or a sticker. It may look strange, sometimes even inconvenient, but it physically makes it impossible for anyone to film you secretly.

For more "elegant" solutions, manufacturers are increasingly offering laptops with a built-in camera shutter. For example, some Lenovo and Dell models have small mechanical shutters that slide open and close the lens without damaging it or affecting the operation of other sensors.

Apple laptops use an LED indicator that theoretically cannot be switched off separately from the camera — if the camera is active, the light is on. However, in some Windows devices, software can switch this indicator off.

It's worth noting that taping the camera is not a panacea. It's also essential to keep your operating system, antivirus software, and video communication software up to date. Physical cover for the camera only complements a multi-layered approach to security.

As a reminder, Google has updated its removal mechanism to protect your personal data. Thus, you can easily remove personal data such as your phone number and address from your search by submitting a removal request.

We also wrote that many popular Chrome browser extensions were hacked by hackers. The malicious updates put more than 3 million users at risk.