Unfortunately, you can take pictures and videos with a cell phone camera or webcam without the owner noticing. This is how you can protect yourself:

“I hacked your camera and filmed you doing sexual acts.” Such sentences have been sent via email for months. The recipients are usually supposed to transfer Bitcoins so that the blackmailer does not send the recordings to friends and family members.

the essentials in brief

  • A webcam can be started unnoticed malware
  • When it comes to apps, you should definitely pay attention to their access permissions and possibly deactivate them.
  • The safest protection is to tape the camera.

Most of the time, the senders of the emails don't even know the recipients and just claim to have recordings. But how realistic is it actually to receive images and videos from someone else's camera without those affected noticing?

Unfortunately, the possibility really exists. This November, three reports show specific dangers. We describe them and list how you can protect yourself at the end of the article.

Trojan “PsiXBot”

It is a malicious program that infiltrates Windows computers. In September, “PsiXBot” was said to have been expanded to include a new “PornModule,” reports the IT security company proofpoint. The extension contains a dictionary of pornographic terms and scans open windows for the words.

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If it finds any, for example when the user visits a porn site, the Trojan starts the webcam (if available) and records an AVI file. It is sent to a server. Of course, all of this happens in the background, without any special notice to the person in front of the screen.

Security vulnerability in Android camera app

When you install an app on Android, you can give it or deny certain access rights - at least since Android 6 (Marshmallow). Actually the settings should be safe. So, for example, if a weather app doesn't have the right to access the camera, it can't do that either.

Actually. The security company Checkmarx has discovered a gap in the Android camera app. The good news: According to Android manufacturer Google, it has been closed since an update in July 2019.

The manipulated Checkmarx weather app was able to record images, videos and audio without authorization. She took advantage of a security flaw in the camera app and forced her to take pictures unnoticed. With the right to access the storage, the app could then send the files in the background.

Facebook app

Facebook also made headlines again. Users of iPhones with the iOS 13.2.2 operating system noticed that the Facebook app launched the selfie camera - without the user wanting to take a photo or video. Facebook spoke of a program error that was supposed to have been fixed with an update. And recordings were apparently not transferred to Facebook servers.

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Nevertheless, this shows how apps can also control the cameras on iPhones and iPads without users actively wanting to take a photo or video: you only have to allow the relevant app access to the camera once and forget to revoke this permission again.

Tips for protection

  1. Admittedly, it looks stupid. But taping up cameras when you don't need them is one of the best ways to protect yourself from unnoticed recordings.
  2. Keep your operating systems and apps up to date. As soon as there updates , you should install them. But: Only updates from official sources (i.e. the App Store, Play Store, etc.). Of course, this also applies to the apps themselves. On dubious websites and in emails or text messages, alleged updates for popular apps that turn out to be malicious software .
  3. checks app permissions . Is what an app wants really understandable? If not, it's better not to install it at all. You can read more about app rights here .
  4. If you want to take a photo or video with an app, it obviously needs access rights for the camera. But after you're done, you can turn the right off again . On Android, you open the settings, then tap Apps, select the relevant app and then tap Permissions. For Apple devices, open the settings, scroll down to the relevant app, tap it and then use the sliders to turn access rights on or off.
  5. Use a current virus protection program  and have your device scanned for malware . This especially applies to the Windows operating system!

Device manufacturers could also increase protection. For example, it would make sense if webcams and smartphone cameras had a small light that turns on as soon as the camera is active.

Then you could notice straight away if an app unintentionally uses the camera. And smartphone manufacturers should provide security updates for longer. market watchdog survey, for example, want at least five years .

You might also be interested in: Blackmail via email and a “final reminder”

Source: checked4you
Article image: Shutterstock / By ThomasDeco


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