How to protect yourself against webcam hijacking

Avoid suspicious links

Have you been sent an email that doesn’t make sense? Or, perhaps you’ve been sent a message on social media with a link to follow. Well chances are that these could contain malware that could give hackers access to your computer and your webcam. Only click on links and download attachments from people that you trust. If the message looks strange or suspicious then give them a call or send them a message to check if the attachment or link is safe – you never know they might have been hacked and be unaware of these messages being sent.

Don’t chat with strangers

Online chat is popular with user groups of all ages but how confident are you that the person you are chatting with is who they say they are. Outside of friends and family it is all too easy for people to trick you into giving away your personal information or downloading malware onto your device. Some things to avoid on online chats include:

• Don’t share personal details that could be used to help people answer your security questions e.g. date of birth, pet names, name of your school or other related information.
• Avoid sharing pictures of your home or anything that will help a stranger identify you or where you live.

Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN)

A great way to help add additional security to your network is by using a VPN which creates a secured private network. For people who regularly rely on accessing public Wi-Fi networks, a VPN is an essential way to protect your computer from hackers. They can also be used with your home network to add an extra layer of security to help protect the data that you send and receive.

Update firmware

Make sure that you are always running the latest version of any firmware or software for your device to help secure it against hackers. Regular software and firmware updates are provided to help keep devices secure and safe.

Install security software

The latest antivirus software will help to keep your Internet of Things devices safe with many features designed to help protect you against webcam hacking and other general threats. While there are free options available, they don’t offer the same level of protection as the subscription-based software.

Unplug or cover your webcam

One of the simplest ways to keep your webcam secure is to unplug it when it is not in use. Where this isn’t possible, for built-in webcams for example, covering the webcam is also an effective measure you can take to stop it from being compromised. If your webcam light turns on while it is not in use then this could be a sign that it has been hacked.