Well having just seen what someone can do with remote access I must say I have started to worry about big brother, am I alone in my paranoia ?
Cheers.
You're never alone with paranoia
Nah, it's just you.
P.s put your pants on, that's not a good look.
you're not alone.
I can't be too hard to make a virus which would enable someone to see through your webcam, but then why would someone want to watch you?
I never use mine, so I just disable it.
If you're really bothered, just put some tape over it.
Why the hell can't I link to a video on photobucket? (Sulks....) ๐
You should be.
There is a hacking framework called metasploit. It's the toolset that makes breaking into computers a very easy task. Once someone with this toolset has broken into your computer, they can do pretty much anything they want with it.
One of the basic pieces of functionality this framework provides once a computer is cracked is to take a picture with the webcam. It's one of the first things everyone does IME.
Obviously nobody is interested in watching a fat mountain biker, they're always hoping to get a young lady who for some inexplicable reason, uses her computer in the nuddy.
Just gaffer tape over it
what is this "webcam" thing?
That's it, bluetac deployed, Oh & Ian I do worry about you ๐
No need to worry, would never happen, etc
[url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/19/schools-spied-on-students-webcams ]http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/19/schools-spied-on-students-webcams[/url]
lots of "lost smartphone/laptop" apps will do this - take a pic of the person using it. I don't suppose it's hard to write the programme if you're an ITish person
I saw something about somebody having his laptop nicked and getting it back by remote use of the cam to identify the thief.
Definately... Saw it on Criminal Minds... I'm doomed!
Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they aren't watching you.
p.s. if anyone is watching me, which finger am I holding up?
I don't know which finger it is, but your dog doesn't look happy that you're holding it up [i]there[/i]
Not a worry as most people I watch on web cam are shaging or watching me and the wife.
Tape over it. Seems like the only way to be sure at the moment.
Feeling spied on 24 hours a day by almost every marketing company or the government security cameras and now this... gets tiresome doesn't it.
Easily remedied;
1. Go to the kitchen.
2. Take the roll of foil from the middle drawer.
3. Cut a square appox. 30cm x 30cm square.
4. Carefully place over the head, folding down the edges to ensure maximum coverage.
You are now protected. HTH.
Please, get over yourself. Why would [i]anyone[/i] be interested in what you're doing in front of your computer? If they're going to install hacking 'ware then all they'll want is passwords so they'll install a key logger. Nobody's going to hack my webcam anyway, so it's not something that bothers me in the slightest.
It's the government who are going to be spying on you via every single gadget in your house : )
I worry about dieing suddenly and it being captured on my built in webcam.
Mol - if you smile the whole world smiles with you ๐
do you work in a cotton mill molgrips?
Yeti, that's a documentary photo. I was going to smile, then I realised it would be better if I kept the same expression. That's what I looked like when I was reading the morning's STW.
You should've been reading one of my highly entertaining posts instead.
When are you going to post the 'after' pic?
After.
After when? I've been waiting a long time now and I'm about to pop.
Webcams are not really the issue, primarily because of the green light that comes on when they are active. There might be a way to get round that, but I am pretty sure that it would require hardware interaction rather than software.
From a data gathering point of view, you should be more worried about audio. Ok, so it's less visual (obviously), but you would leak a lot of information in a business context that just taking a photo of the target. Combine that with a spear phishing attack on a specific company, add in a lot of people to translate the take into whatever language you use and you could get a lot of nice information.
Remember, it's only paranoia if you don't _know_ they are all out to get you.
Yes you should all be aware of all the ways that surveillance is built into much of todays' technology and have as little to do with it as possible.
Why?
Why not?!
Why not?!
You've not really got the hang of this 'discussion' concept, have you?
If you're going to make a sweeping statement as to what we "all" should do, you're going to explain why you think that or it's meaningless. I might as well say, "well, you should all paint your elbows green." Why? "Why not?"
Then let me elaborate. As the late Patrick McGoohan said in the Prisoner "I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, briefed, debriefed or numbered!" he also said "I will not make any deals with you, my life is my own." Nor will I be prodded by pop-ups or have my web-browsing habits used to bombard me with adverts from companies that I have no intention of doing business with, my shopping habits are my own affair as well, I won't have shoddy little shops trying to get me to buy that which I wouldn't otherwise buy with Their miserable loyalty cards. It's my attitude to life. One that you may understand and sympathise with, or not. That is your choice. But I beleive that you either have privacy or you don't. And I choose not to have other people knowing my business.
I think you're getting ideas conflated a little bit there.
I do not feel that the possibility that someone can find out where I live or what I bought at Tesco inhibits my freedom in any way. My life is numbered by people who need to index me such as banks, and yours is too. But I just don't care. It's no different to me storing someone's phone number. Just because my bank assigned me an account number doesn't mean that they are pushing me around or making me do what they want.
You might value privacy highly, that's fine, but don't make yourself out to be some kind of freedom warrior, that's just egotistical romantic bolx.
As for the web browsing adverts - how else do you think these sites are paid for?
Christ, I won't be arguing with Molgrips again. He looks well stern.
I accidentally flicked my webcam on once. I nearly shat myself. The sight of my big gormless face staring back at me in 27" of glorious High Definition is something nobody should ever have to suffer
I did shave using a webcam once.
I wouldn't shave using binners webcam though.
That is your choice
Yes it is, and it's the point I was sticking on. That's a complete u-turn from your earlier post where you were insistent we all have "as little to do with it as possible."
I think informed choice is good. I think it's important to know what people are doing with your information (which isn't really the same as surveillance, but let's roll with it for now) of course, but what you are and aren't comfortable with is [i]personal choice.[/i]
And personally, I couldn't give a stuff if Tesco know that I bought a loaf of bread and four pints of milk last week. They pay me fairly handsomely for this information, everyone's a winner.
As for targeted advertising; again, if I'm going to see adverts then surely it's preferable that it's something I might be interested in? Is it not better to get point-of-sale discount coupons for stuff I'd be buying anyway?
Frankly, I've more important things to be worrying about than spending every waking moment trying impotently to 'stick it to the man' by disabling web browser cookies.
*goes to crack one off in front of laptop*
That'll put 'em off....
That's a complete u-turn from your earlier post where you were insistent we all have "as little to do with it as possible."
"Have" (your word) and "should" (his word) don't mean the same thing, and the latter doesn't exclude choice or involve insistence.
TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTR - Member
*goes to crack one off in front of laptop*That'll put 'em off....
Indeed, ๐
/Fires up hacking toolset
How do you all feel about your electricity and gas providers having an absolute monopoly on the market?
D'oh! This thread reminds me I need to buy a webcam ... arrghhh ...
No, I don't have a webcam when I built my pc so nothing of those inbuilt webcam luxury.
arcane - Member
How do you all feel about your electricity and gas providers having an absolute monopoly on the market?
What in the same way as all food comes from the same place?
Like all beef comes from cows, or all wheat come from, er wheat?
Or are you suggesting that there is a price fixing policy for all gas & electricity?
Have you ever heard of OPEC?

