FBI Director James Comey said the best way to prevent a webcam hack is by placing non-translucent tape over the lens.
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Comey was asked at a Center for Strategic and International Studies event in Washington why there was no visible response to Russian cyber threats and whether that meant the government was unable to handle them.
He explained that computers in USA government offices have lids that block off cameras, saying: “You do that so that people who don’t have authority don’t look at you”.
“You don’t get to decide what I get to see”, Chaffetz said.
The FBI director, who first revealed his use of the precautionary measure earlier this year, is “of course referring to hackers that can easily access a computer’s webcam and spy on users”, reports TechRadar. Recently in an Instagram picture of Mark Zuckerberg, it was found that he covers the camera and the audio jack on his Macbook with pieces of tape. You do that so that people who dont have authority dont look at you.
Making the most of the opportunity, he chose to hand out one simple – but potentially very effective – piece of advice: to place a bit of tape over your computer’s webcam.
The FBI Director released a warning over computer webcams. “They all have a little lid that closes down on them”, the spy boss said.
“It’s not insane that the Federal Bureau of Investigation director cares about personal security as well”, he said, according to The Hill.
Hackers don’t just go after banking info and important documents – they can gain control of computers, baby monitors, and gaming systems. Don’t laugh, but Comey said that almost every computer in every government building has a webcam cover in order to prevent “unauthorized” people from spying on federal employees. He also said that people shouldn’t take it for granted that someone is out there to ensure their safety.
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But you don’t have to settle for a bit of plain old scotch tape, because one internet security company has created a product specifically to solve this problem.
