Today, the Internet offers a sea of possibilities. Fast information flow, blogosphere, online movie platforms, social media, and finally instant messaging. Today, through mobile applications and video calls, we can communicate with a team of colleagues, family hundreds of kilometers away, friends ... We also have a chance to meet new people online. Instant messaging is a window to the world. Unfortunately, it is also a "gateway" for cybercriminals. How to protect yourself from them? One way is to stick a webcam. You will learn why it is so important from this text.
Webcam and a range of threats
Webcams have been with us since the 90s. They enable better interpersonal communication. However, peeping through them is very simple - it constantly tempts online criminals. A representative of Bitdefender, a company that in 2001 deals with the development of antivirus software, securing devices with Linux, Windows, Mac OS, iOS and Android, says directly:
“Civilization has its advantages and disadvantages, more and more home devices are connected to the Internet - thanks to this, they can be operated remotely and, for example, during our absence from the apartment, we can see live what is happening there. However, a similar webcam Nest (a brand owned by Google), which fell prey to the hacker, began not only to "help" people, but also to inform the household about the missile attack on their city and told them to say goodbye to life. So you have to be careful, protect your equipment, because as you can see, modern technologies can also have their dark sides ”.
Internet and user safety
The Internet is growing in strength and is becoming more and more important in our lives. It is estimated that by 2020 there will be 26 billion connected devices on the market. Former FBI director James Comey in 2016 at Kenyon College in Ohio said in a special speech that such a thing as "total privacy" in America never really existed - until now, when the data is so encrypted that even law enforcement does not have access to them. A simple but effective way to keep yourself safe is to tape over your webcam. Today, hackers and spies aim for the "ordinary" user, but also often try to get into computers and track the activities of people in high positions. Most often, hackers use Trojans to hijack a computer. The equipment is infected. The hacker has remote access to the computer via the RAT system. It can record calls and turn on the camera at any time.
Do you want to protect yourself against a hacker attack? Remember these basic steps:
- seal the webcam,
- enable access to the webcam only in the applications you trust,
- regularly change the password for mobile applications and banking systems,
- install proven software to protect against hacker attacks and hardware viruses,
- perform a backup periodically.
Enjoy the undoubtedly the Internet - every day. However, remember about the basic safety rules.
Some time ago we discussed the topic of threats on the Internet. We wrote about cyber frauds on the Internet that took place increasing coverage in Norway. You can read the content of this article here.
