SumTips: 7 Signs You’re at Risk of a Webcam Hack

[Image credit: Facebook]

A recent photo of Mark Zuckerberg revealed something far more noteworthy than Instagram's latest growth milestone: the Facebook founder covers his laptop webcam and microphone with tape—and no one is calling him irrational or paranoid for doing so. In fact, the response to Zuckerberg’s laptop has largely consisted of cybersecurity experts reminding users that the smart thing to do is to take similar precautions. “What’s scariest about it is not who’s doing it but how easy it is to do,” acknowledged the Digital Citizens Alliance’s Adam Benson.

In case you’re wondering if you are at risk of an invasion of privacy via webcam, take note of our 7 warning signs below:

1.    You have a weak wireless password—or none at all. A strong password will keep hackers out of your wireless network. Be sure to always avoid insecure public Wi-Fi without the added protection of a VPN.

2.    You turn off your firewall and/or anti-virus protection. Hackers frequently take over webcams with malware sent via malicious email links. Although even the best security solutions are known to let new viruses through, turning them off entirely—even for a moment—will only increase your risk.

3.    You ignore software updates. “The biggest compromises that have happened over the past six to nine months often happened in an un-patched device that had a security vulnerability, and the patches weren’t applied fast enough,” reported Gerhard Eschelbeck, Google’s head of cybersecurity.

4.    You bought or borrowed a computer from an untrustworthy or unknown source. Before you login at an internet café or boot up the laptop you bought used, know that a previous user could now be spying on you.

5.    You click on attachments in emails addressed to you. Chinese hackers GhostNet took over nearly 1,300 webcams in more than 100 countries by sending out realistic-but-spoofed emails. As soon as users opened their email attachments, a Trojan virus was released and the hackers had complete webcam control.

6.    You spend time in front of your computer. In 2015, a Canadian woman discovered her webcam had been infiltrated when she received photos via Facebook of herself and her boyfriend watching Netflix. Her story is just one of the countless personal events that webcam hackers document when unsuspecting individuals think no one is watching.

7.    You don’t use a SumRando Cybersecurity webcam cover. Zuckerberg used tape, but we have something better: custom-designed SumRando webcam covers for your computer and smartphone. Email us at contact@sumrando.com to receive a complimentary set of 5.

We live in a world in which webcam hacking is a real threat for everyone from Facebook founders to everyday internet users. Take necessary precautions, surf secure and stay Rando!

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SumRando Cybersecurity is a Mauritius-based VPN, Web Proxy and Secure Messenger provider. Surf secure and stay Rando!