What Is Webcam Hijacking?

Date First Published: 22nd June 2023

Topic: Cybersecurity

Threats To Individuals

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty Level: 5/10

Learn about what webcam hijacking in this article.

Webcam hijacking, also known as camfecting, is the act of activating a user's webcam remotely over the internet and gaining access to it without their permission or knowledge. Almost any device with a camera, including a tablet, phone, desktop computer, or laptop can be hijacked. All the attacker needs to do is install remote access malware on the computer, which is often installed by deception tactics.

Since a webcam is a physical component of a computer, some people may not think that it is vulnerable to being remotely accessed and controlled by an attacker. However, webcams are entirely controlled by software within the operating system and attackers can take over it if the software is compromised or if they have the right type of malware. The malware only has to record videos using the webcam and then send those videos to the attacker.

Effects Of Webcam Hijacking

Webcam hijacking is a form of spyware that allows an attacker to spy on people and take video recordings of them. Once the webcam is remotely activated, the attacker can watch anything within the webcam's field of vision. They could send the video recordings to another location without their permission, which is a serious privacy risk. It would be embarrassing if a video was recorded during a private time. Attackers could watch someone through their webcam without the indicator light on, which could result in terrible consequences and it may take a while for the user to find out that their webcam has been hacked.

The effects of webcam hijacking are even worse when multiple people use the same computer. The attacker could watch multiple people through the webcam and then post the embarrassing videos online. Sometimes, the malware may display popups on the computer saying that their webcam has been hijacked and they have to pay a ransom or else the video will be released. Even if the attacker has taken embarrassing videos, paying the ransom doesn't guarantee that they won't release the videos to a large audience.

Signs Of Webcam Hijacking

Below are five signs that your webcam has been hijacked:

• There are lots of saved video recordings in your webcam folder that you don't remember recording yourself.
• The webcam indicator light is constantly on, even when you are not using your webcam.
• Odd webcam activity patterns, such as spikes of webcam activity running in the background every 30 minutes or at a certain time every day.
• You constantly receive error messages stating that your webcam is already in use when activating the webcam yourself, even when you don't remember using your webcam.
• Your webcam security settings have unexpectedly changed without your permission.

How To Prevent Webcam Hijacking?

Below are five steps to prevent webcam hijacking:

• Keep your computer secure. Make sure that it has strong antivirus software installed and is up to date. Antivirus software will detect and remove most viruses that allow attackers to access your webcam without your permission, keeping your webcam safe. Avoid downloading files from websites you have never heard of or unexpected email attachments.
• Keep your operating system up to date. This will fix bugs and vulnerabilities discovered by other users that allow attackers to access your webcam.
• Don't give camera access to apps that don't need it. The fewer apps you give camera access to, the lower the chances of hackers finding anything they can exploit on multiple apps.
• Unplug your webcam or cover it. If your webcam is not physically plugged in, it would be impossible to hijack. When you know that you won't be using it for a while, you can consider unplugging it to keep it secure. This is the only way to ensure that your webcam is 100% secure. If your device has a built-in webcam, it is not possible to unplug it. Covering a webcam with a piece of tape, a sticky note, or a piece of paper won't prevent an attacker from accessing it, but it will prevent them from being able to see anything out of it.
• Disable webcam access. If you rarely use your webcam, then you can completely disable webcam access on your device and only turn it on when you use it. Whilst this method will prevent most malware from being able to access your webcam, it is not 100% secure and can still be bypassed by advanced viruses and malware.

Examples Of Webcam Hijacking

In November 2013, Jared James Abrahams, an American teenager, was guilty of hacking over 100-150 women and installing the Blackshades malware on their computers to obtain nude images and videos of them. One of his victims was Miss Teen USA 2013, Cassidy Wolf.

By modifying the firmware of the microcontroller, researchers from Johns Hopkins University have demonstrated how to silently take pictures using the iSight camera on MacBook and iMac models made before 2008.

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