Many were startled to learn about claims that the government had the ability to spy on people through the built-in webcams found in laptops like Apple’s MacBook series. The ability to hijack a computers webcam isn’t new, but the news was punctuated by the disturbing revelation that the camera could be activated without triggering the LED light signifying its status.
That little green LED is a deliberate privacy feature and Apple has gone to some length to insure that the indicator always goes on when the camera in a MacBook computer is active, right down to an independent micro-controller. A team of researchers out of Johns Hopkins have demonstrated, however, how a little bit of work and ingenuity can overcome this hurdle. Disturbing indeed.
The team demonstrated their hack on older MacBook computers (pre-2008) but say that a similar result could likely be achieved on new models. While the average person probably has no reason to fear any targeted spying efforts, the thought of such a privacy invasion is enough.
For the truly paranoid, there are several options. Always close your laptop lid when not in use (or point it in the direction of something innocuous). Or simply pull out the old black tape over the built-in camera trick.
[via The Washington Post]
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