Five signs that your webcam has been hacked and that someone may be watching you
From FaceTime to Zoom calls, your webcam is a hugely useful piece of kit.
But it is also dangerous in the wrong hands. If hackers and cybercriminals manage to gain access to your device, they can hijack your webcam and microphone within minutes and use it to spy on you.
Being spied on and recorded is hardly ideal when you’re trying to watch Below Deck in your pants. But luckily, there are some ways to find out if your recording equipment is being used without your consent.
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Here are some of the tell-tale signs that your webcam or microphone is being used – so you know whether or not to cover the camera lens.
The biggest giveaway is undoubtedly the webcam indicator light that is present on most devices with a camera, including laptops.
If this light turns on while you are not actively using the webcam, it may mean that someone has access to it remotely. However, the webcam light can be turned off in the device settings, so that is not the only sign that something is wrong. Ensuring that the webcam light is always enabled will make it easier for you to see if it is being used.
If you’re an iPhone or Android user, there’s a very easy way to tell if any apps are using the camera or microphone, as these devices have their own “webcam light”.
The iPhone status bar uses orange and green icons to indicate whether your camera or microphone is being used by an app.
Meanwhile, Android phones have an almost identical notification feature that appears at the top right of the device screen.
All you have to do is tap the indicator and a pop-up will appear telling you exactly which apps have access to your video and audio feeds at the time.
Besides the indicator light or icon, there are a few other giveaways. If you’ve noticed unusual apps on your desktop, it could be a sign that someone has installed software on your device so they can access your camera.
Similarly, if your battery drains faster than usual or you notice some strange browser extensions, this could also be an indicator that your camera or microphone is being used unexpectedly.
Evan Fitzroy, technical specialist at Proxyrack, said: “The most important thing to monitor is anything unusual that has started to appear on your computer, such as new programs or documents appearing unexpectedly and also persistent pop-ups or warnings that may indicate external use of your device.”
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