They Watch Through Your Webcam

[sherlew99]

"Ratters" - They Watch Through Your Webcam

Click here to find out how and what you can do to stop them.

[sherlew99]

[Tomspy77]

After the first Doctor Who episode of series 7B, Bells of St. John, this is even weirder lol. ;D

[earthbondtimelord]

Believe it or not we had a problem with this here. Maine has a program that the school supplies Laptops for students to take home and do their school work on. It was found out that there was a program installed so that you could remotely turn on the webcam and no one was told. Parents were up in arms about this happening while their children might be dressing or what not in their rooms with the computers open.

The schools system claimed this would only happen if the computers were reported stolen as a way of seeing where the computers were. The parents were pretty much told there was nothing they could do about it.

[sherlew99]

This isn't the way to track school computers, though. I'm sure there is a better solution available to them.

[pickinduck]

You guys & gals are way behind the ball on this. Have you forgot about what happened to me? Pretty much every household is bugged. Telephones have always been an open mic with a simple single switch bypass. There are mics in apliences that should not have them. Powerlines transmit info now. Pin hole cameras can be put in anything.
LOOK DOWN AT MY SIGGY!

[sherlew99]

I haven't forgotten, Don. My husband and I are still being harassed by our neighbors. I don't know if our phone is actually bugged or not, but we're very careful about what we say while using it. We're probably followed online as well.

[pickinduck]

You don't actually have to be speaking on the phone for "them" to be listening to you. They do it all the time. It's just a switch they bypass.

[earthbondtimelord]

Well then other then hearing a dog bark from time to time and a dysfunctional phone call from Kim's mom, we must be very boring.

[pickinduck]

I still get the feeling that all of you have forgot about what happened to me. I NEVER WILL!

[pickinduck]

Oh, just thought that I would add that things with speakers don't nessarily need mics because they are the same thing.

[sherlew99]

Yes, I've seen instructions on the web for turning speakers into microphones.

[earthbondtimelord]

I've seen them too and have read them to stay up to date.

What I don't learn at work (I work with Technology) I learn on my own. I try and stay in pace with things if not a little ahead of it.

You'd be amazed of some of the things we are working on and not just in the computer lines either. Cars are getting more and more computerized and smarter too.

[sherlew99]

I'm not sure if I'd want a smart car until they work out the security angles.

I did a little more searching online this morning and found out that you're right about the phone not being safe, even if it's a cradled landline. I didn't want to believe it, but apparently it's true.

"Now, however, one cannot simply look at a phone, see that it is hung up, and therefore know it is secure. The software features of most computerized phone systems make it possible to manipulate the instrument so that it acts like a microphone to pick up and transmit room conversations even when the handset is hung up. Many telephone instruments are designed with a speaker phone option, but it is possible to turn a handset into an active microphone to pick up room conversations even if this was not a part of its design or construction. Room conversations can then be monitored from another telephone far away."

www.dm.usda.gov/ocpm/Security%20Guide/V2comint/Telephon.htm

[sherlew99]

Phones with hook switches should be immune to this, unless someone can find a way to change the circuitry on the phone it's self. My old landline should have a hook switch, but I haven't been able to verify this yet.