Widespread publicity, generated by the use of so-called “legitimate” spycam software in the ongoing “Pennsylvania High School Caught Filming Naked Teenage Students In Their Bedrooms”, class action lawsuit, and more recent reports from around the world of stealth webcam-activating malware being used to spy on young girls and boys, should be waving a bright red flag warning about the potential for webcam misuse. But, statistics show that most people pay little, or no, attention.
Average PC users don’t seem too concerned about webcam vulnerability, or worried by the fact, that some lowlife grub could be watching them as they read this page.
“It can never happen to me because I have the free version of AV-Poopscan installed” … right ?
WRONG!
“No LED / No Warning” Trojans, that switch on your webcam by stealth, were once a closely guarded secret. So closely guarded, that some “computer security expert” journalists, refused to believe they existed, and filed reports about them in the urban myth basket, along with hardware-destroying viruses, and alligators in the New York sewers.
But the fact is, organized gangs of professional cyber thieves have been using surreptitious webcam activation to steal identities, personal information, banking information, credit card numbers, etc for years. “Uncle Nasty” jumped on the bandwagon when stealth webcam Trojans turned up as free downloads on underground websites, last year.
Their use as “perv cams” has skyrocketed in the past few months, and now, hardly a week goes by without another privacy invasion horror story – some of them involving hundreds of unsuspecting teenage victims.
A few weeks ago, Audrey wrote to me:
Hello Bill,
I think your readers need to know about this. I downloaded the free Zemana Antilogger program you offered last month.
After what happened tonight, saying I’m impressed with it would be the understatement of the 21st century.
My 12 year old daughter uses her laptop in her bedroom (don’t they all?) and earlier tonight she called me in and showed me that Antilogger was blocking her webcam from starting.
When I let it run to see what it would do, someone, or something, activated the webcam without the warning LED lighting up to show that it was switched on.
With a bit of fiddling, I was able to bring the video of me looking at myself to the screen, but there was still no indication that the webcam was running.
I deleted the Antilogger allow rule so whoever or whatever it was is blocked in future, but I’m stunned that someone, or something, could remotely switch on the webcam like that.
They might have been trying to steal credit card numbers, which seems to be quite common these days, but what if it was some sicko pervert?
My daughter gets out of the shower and gets dressed in full view of that webcam. She could have been plastered naked all over YouTube and FaceBook by morning.
This sneaky webcam stuff takes “upskirt” to a whole new level.
That says it all. Perv cam is the new Upskirt!
Just yesterday, here in Toronto, a pervert was arrested and charged with peeking up women’s skirts with a video camera, in a busy downtown subway station and mall. (Source: Toronto Star)
To protect your kids from “Uncle Nasty”, Zemana is offering Tech Thoughts readers a free 60-day AntiLogger license. Grab it while it’s hot!
Download the program from Zemana, here.
Then, download your free activation key from this special page Zemana has set up especially for Tech Thoughts readers.
This offer will expire at the end of this month. So, grab it while it’s hot!
To read my full review of “Zemana AntiLogger – An Ounce of Prevention”, go here.
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