“I started covering the camera on my laptop around five years ago,” Emily Price writes for Lifehacker. “At the time, my decision was prompted less by a security concern and more because someone handed me a camera cover at a conference, but the threat is most definitely real.”
“Without even mentioning targeted hacks, malware will often spy on computer users, recording video or audio, sometimes in a way that can go entirely undetected,” Price writes. “Oversight is a piece of software for Mac that monitors your Mac’s mic and webcam and then lets you know through a pop up if and when the internal mic in your computer is activated or when an app accesses the webcam.”
More info and links in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Softare is nice, but “hardwre” is foolproof. We use camJAMR camera covers on our iMacs and MacBook Airs. They’re removable/reusable. We’ve stuck and unstuck them hundreds of times. We just leave them on and peel them aside when we want to use our Macs’ cameras.
SEE ALSO:
How to prevent Mac apps from using your FaceTime camera and microphone without permission – August 16, 2018
Mac malware undetected for years allows webcam photos, key-logging, and more – July 25, 2017
Mysterious Mac malware ‘FruitFly’ has infected hundreds of victims for years – July 24, 2017
Newly discovered Mac/Linux malware ‘Fruitfly’ watches your every move – January 19, 2017
How to get an alert in macOS when an app accesses the webcam or microphone – October 7, 2016
Former NSA staffer demonstrates Mac malware that can tap into live webcam and mic feeds – October 6, 2016
Mark Zuckerberg covers his MacBook’s camera and microphone with tape – June 22, 2016
How to disable the iSight camera on your Mac – February 19, 2015
Orwellian: UK government, with aid from US NSA, intercepted webcam images from millions of users – February 27, 2014
Sextortion warning: It’s masking tape time for webcams – June 28, 2013
Research shows how Mac webcams can spy on their users without warning light – December 18, 2013
Ex-official: FBI can secretly activate an individual’s webcam without indicator light – December 9, 2013
Lower Merion report: MacBook webcams snapped 56,000 clandestine images of high schoolers – April 20, 2010
Electric tape
A small strip of a Post-It note is quicker and works like a charm.
The issue in going w/ a sticker-over-the-cam solution is that it only solves half the issue. The audio can still be captured which often the more critical of the 2 things..
Gaffer tape. Can be stuck and unstuck over and over, and doesn’t leave residue behind. Fold it on itself at one end to create a tab to grasp for easy removal.
Have used Oversight in the past. It used to freeze up all the time, without indication, so you were unaware of whether it was working or not. (If you happened to roll over its icon in the menu bar, you’d see the scrolling rainbow circle). Kind of defeated the purpose. Not sure if it’s been updated since to rectify that problem, but it would be rather important for developer to do so.
It would just be great if Apple built in a physical turn off switch for the cam and mic, like on the original iSight camera.
Oh, you mean like the ones in Windows 10? Amazed they could do it, but Apple hasn’t.
Sorry renegade. I meant software, not hardware switches.
On an Apple device, WHY WOULD WE NEED ANY 3RD PARTY APP FOR THIS????????????
Maybe Apple needs to honor their commitments to users, guarantee privacy with simple effective security. Is Jony too busy to design an alyooominyum shutter over cameras?
Lol
I am 100% sure that app will be secretly performing the
same activities as the malwares it claims to be monitoring.😳…🤔…🥴…..🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Yep, no different than Antivirus developers creating the same viruses that they claim to detect.
🇺🇸MAGA!!!
https://daringfireball.net/2019/02/on_covering_webcams