New breed of spycams pose threat to privacy


	New breed of spycams pose threat to privacy

pennyserenade

9-3-2009 9:48 AM

192 views

pennyserenade says:

"

You probably don't know this, but Adobe's Flash Player browser plug-in, which many people install to view Flash video clips and adverts on the web, has a Settings Manager that has two settings that control whether websites you access, and potentially other Internet users, can turn on your webcam and microphone remotely - with or without asking your permission.

In addition, the Internet VoIP and chat application Skype also has some settings that can control whether and how a webcam in or connected to your computer is enabled when using it."

Add a Comment

Login to Comment. Not a member yet? Sign up

Today's Top Clips

visit the Top Clips page

View the Top Clips from September 3, 2009

Embed This Clip In Your Site...

<div style="margin: 12px 0px; font-family: arial; color: #333333; background: #ffffff; border: solid 4px #e5e5e5; width: 100%; clear: left;"><div class="CM_CTB_Content_Wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;background-color: #ffffff;"><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content.clipmarks.com/blog_embed/f60772ca-8b23-47f2-b90f-5563c75a5290/D93E6724-B33B-47FD-946D-38C3AFAE6F55/" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/opinion/1531895/new-breed-spycams-pose-threat-privacy" href="http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/opinion/1531895/new-breed-spycams-pose-threat-privacy" style="font-size: 11px;">www.theinquirer.net</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/opinion/1531895/new-breed-spycams-pose-threat-privacy"><P><STRONG>A FEW YEARS AGO</STRONG> a security expert, enraged at discovering that his PC had been hacked, managed to trace the intruder’s computer and take remote control of it. He was astonished to find himself staring at the face of the culprit, courtesy of the machine’s webcam.</p> <P>The case of the hacked hacker was an early example of how webcams can expose a home or office to the world.  They have since proliferated at least as quickly as Britain’s public surveillance cameras, yet while two major reports in three years have warned that those present a serious threat to privacy and freedom - <A target="_blank" href="http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:zvXivWNGbIUJ:www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/library/data_protection/practical_application/surveillance_society_full_report_2006.pdf+surveillance+society&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ukLink 2"><EM>A Report on the Surveillance Society</EM></A> and <A target="_blank" href="http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.com/pa/ld200809/ldselect/ldconst/18/1802.htm"><EM>Surveillance: Citizens and the State</EM> </A>- the insidious perils of private webcams have received little attention.</p> <P>Security firm Sophos tells the story of a Cyprus man who infected a 17-year-old girl’s PC with Trojan spyware that gave him access to her webcam. He was caught only after she contacted police when he tried to use his pictures to blackmail her into posing naked.</P></blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0px 6px 6px 4px;"><table style="font-size: 11px;border-spacing: 0px;padding: 0px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;">&nbsp;</td><td align="right" style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;width:107px" width="107"><a href="http://clipmarks.com/share/D93E6724-B33B-47FD-946D-38C3AFAE6F55/blog/" title="blog or email this clip"><img src="http://content7.clipmarks.com/images/c2b-foot.png" border="0" alt="blog it" width="107" height="17" style="border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;" /></a></td></tr></table></div></div>

New from the makers of Clipmarks: Amplify.com - Don't just share the news...Amplify it!

Clipmarks: Home; New Clips; Top Clips; Dashboard

Popular Topics: News; Life; Science; Technology; Entertainment

Get Started: Sign Up; Install Clipping Tool; How Clipping Works; Clip-to-Blog™; ClipSearch

Tools and Resources: FAQ; ClipWeek; Top Clippers; Top Tags; Site Map

About Clipmarks: About Us; Contact; Copyright; Privacy; EULA

Search Options

Today's Top Clips