How to Hijack a Webcam
Camera Compromise
© Lead Image © khan05, 123RF.com
If you still aren't convinced of the need for vigilance, find out how easy it is for an attacker to get control of a laptop camera.
I am reluctant to write about some types of online attacks. The reason I go ahead often comes down to the fact that I think it is important to educate users who don't work in cybersecurity. As a user, you are less likely to succumb to an online attack if a) you have heard of it before and b) you have some insight into how to identify it and defend against it.
This article will take an ethical hacking approach to demonstrating how an attacker can take control of a user's webcam. I will use a tool that is frequently employed by penetration testers and attackers alike: Meterpreter, which is part of the Metasploit framework. A successful attack could allow the intruder to stream live video remotely from the victim's computer, take still images from the webcam, and record live audio files from the victim's microphone.
I noticed during the tests that the webcam's light came on. Needless to say, it is often quite possible to disable the light to prevent alerting the user. Apparently, it is far easier to disable the light if it is software controlled (via drivers that can be infected by malware) and less integral to the hardware. In the spirit of caution, I tend to have a bit of electrical tape over the webcam on my laptop if no privacy cover is provided by the laptop vendor.
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