# Has your web cam ever been hacked? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 5, 2015, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-web-cam-ever-been-hacked/716906 "2015-04-05T20:16:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2015, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-web-cam-ever-been-hacked/716906/21 "2015-04-06T21:06:22Z")
It’s your own default when you don’t change it when you get a new electronic toy. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-web-cam-ever-been-hacked/716906/22 "2015-04-07T01:14:50Z")
This cronky old laptop doesn’t have its own cam … I’ve just bowed the head of the plug in one I’m using, so if anyone wants a shot of my desk - have at it! That’s creepy though OP - very creepy. I did once observe that a third party was using my connection -I can’t remember what prompted it, but I went to look at my internet connection and it was showing someone else logged on between my device and the service provider. I just turned off the wifi box and called the provider to change the password. I found I’d been blocked from a couple of sites - a local news site being one. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-web-cam-ever-been-hacked/716906/23 "2015-04-07T10:54:08Z")
I never used to have my camera covered. Then, one day, while surfing the net nekkid, I heard a voice say, “Dude, for the love of God, put a piece of tape over your camera!” mmm ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-web-cam-ever-been-hacked/716906/24 "2015-04-07T16:05:08Z")
> [@Lilian](#): > > It also irritates me that people have to cover their webcams with papers or tapes. Why aren’t web cams provided with shutters in the first place? That would be a very simple design feature to make for the computer manufacturers. > [@Lorene89095](#): > > Billion $$ idea!! [Too late!](https://store.randpaul.com/index.php/other/nsa-spy-cam-blocker.html) (For those who don’t want to click, it’s Rand Paul’s campaign web shop selling an “NSA Spy Cam Blocker” which is a little plastic “Rand”-branded shutter for your laptop’s camera.) ---
**Author:** ![Lilian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5a626/32.png) [@Lilian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lilian)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2015, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-web-cam-ever-been-hacked/716906/25 "2015-04-07T16:31:17Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > [Too late!](https://store.randpaul.com/index.php/other/nsa-spy-cam-blocker.html) > > (For those who don’t want to click, it’s Rand Paul’s campaign web shop selling an “NSA Spy Cam Blocker” which is a little plastic “Rand”-branded shutter for your laptop’s camera.) Well, it’s better than having my mother sitting in front of the comp to scare off hackers 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-web-cam-ever-been-hacked/716906/26 "2015-04-08T21:33:52Z")
> [@Lilian](#): > > About one year ago I found out that a strange guy had put up a pic of me on Facebook. The photo was completely new to me, I’d never seen it before. I realized it had been taken by my laptop’s web cam without my knowledge. What makes you so sure that’s how the stranger got the image? I can easily believe a stranger could set up a Face Book account with your picture and a fake name. I find it much harder to believe that they hacked your webcam to get the picture. You say the stranger contacted some of your FB friends and knew what hockey team they were fans of. This suggests to me that the stranger knew you and your friends somehow. I can easily see how an acquaintance or friend of a friend could get a picture of you off somebody’s phone, or FB post. Anyway- Back To The Other Part Of The OP Nobody has hacked my webcam. I’m not sure why anybody would, as nude images of me are already on the web. But, just to be on the safe side, my webcam is covered by a hanging denim pocket (I’ve personalized the computer desk my dad made by hanging denim pockets for storage) when at home. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2015, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-web-cam-ever-been-hacked/716906/27 "2015-04-08T22:20:53Z")
Hack away. Having nude pictures of me is its own punishment. ---
**Author:** ![tenacious\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@tenacious\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tenacious_j)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-web-cam-ever-been-hacked/716906/28 "2015-04-09T03:45:38Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > [Too late!](https://store.randpaul.com/index.php/other/nsa-spy-cam-blocker.html) > > (For those who don’t want to click, it’s Rand Paul’s campaign web shop selling an “NSA Spy Cam Blocker” which is a little plastic “Rand”-branded shutter for your laptop’s camera.) You have GOT to be kidding me. :rolleyes: I’ll bet he sells a million of these, assuming his followers are computer literate enough to complete the transaction but dumb enough not to use masking tape, scared enough to want to block their camera but trusting enough to put their credit card numbers out into the universe. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-web-cam-ever-been-hacked/716906/29 "2015-04-09T11:49:31Z")
Piece of electrical tape over the lens does the trick. I wonder why that is not standard issue on new laptops? ---
**Author:** ![Lilian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5a626/32.png) [@Lilian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lilian)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-web-cam-ever-been-hacked/716906/30 "2015-04-09T14:27:45Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > What makes you so sure that’s how the stranger got the image? I can easily believe a stranger could set up a Face Book account with your picture and a fake name. I find it much harder to believe that they hacked your webcam to get the picture. You say the stranger contacted some of your FB friends and knew what hockey team they were fans of. This suggests to me that the stranger knew you and your friends somehow. I can easily see how an acquaintance or friend of a friend could get a picture of you off somebody’s phone, or FB post. I know the pic was taken from the web cam because of the angle. It couldn’t have been taken from anywhere else. I or any of my friends (real friends) would never have taken that kind of pic, it wasn’t a very flattery pic (and that’s an understatement). > [@](#): > > Anyway- Back To The Other Part Of The OP > > Nobody has hacked my webcam. I’m not sure why anybody would, as nude images of me are already on the web. But, just to be on the safe side, my webcam is covered by a hanging denim pocket (I’ve personalized the computer desk my dad made by hanging denim pockets for storage) when at home. That sounds like a contradiction to me if you don’t mind me saying so. You don’t think anyone would hack our web cams but yet you cover yours. You say that your webcam has never been hacked. The problem is, how do you know? The only sure way to find out is if you stumble across pics taken from it or receive blackmail notes from someone about them. ---
**Author:** ![Lilian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5a626/32.png) [@Lilian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lilian)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-web-cam-ever-been-hacked/716906/31 "2015-04-09T14:32:46Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Hack away. Having nude pictures of me is its own punishment. Nude pics isn’t the only problem. If a hacker has access to your web cam, he has entry to anything else on your comp as well. Your personal data, bank account and so on. ---
**Author:** ![Lilian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5a626/32.png) [@Lilian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lilian)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-web-cam-ever-been-hacked/716906/32 "2015-04-09T14:35:59Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Piece of electrical tape over the lens does the trick. I wonder why that is not standard issue on new laptops? They should indeed be provided with shutters. Customers should boycott laptops without them. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-web-cam-ever-been-hacked/716906/33 "2015-04-09T15:37:29Z")
> [@Lilian](#): > > That sounds like a contradiction to me if you don’t mind me saying so. You don’t think anyone would hack our web cams but yet you cover yours. I don’t think hacking most webcams is easy or likely, but it isn’t impossible. Still, covering my laptop’s camera is more a superstition than anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-web-cam-ever-been-hacked/716906/34 "2015-04-09T15:41:07Z")
> [@Lilian](#): > > Nude pics isn’t the only problem. If a hacker has access to your web cam, he has entry to anything else on your comp as well. Your personal data, bank account and so on. Gosh…nude pictures of me _and_ access to a bank account that would allow him to steal tens of dollars! ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-web-cam-ever-been-hacked/716906/35 "2015-04-09T15:44:31Z")
I doubt it, but if anyone ever does they deserve what they’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-web-cam-ever-been-hacked/716906/36 "2015-04-09T16:03:06Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > A friend of mine in college found out three months into her freshman year that the peephole in her dorm room door had been reversed… Wow, was it community college? 😃 > [@Lilian](#): > > The hackers always seem to be one step ahead of the people who develop anti-malware and anti-virus products. > > The guy befriended some friends of mine on Facebook claiming he was a supporter of the same hockey club as them. One of them saw my pic on his page and notified me. The guy used a fake name, but the scary thing is that I suspect he must be one of my “friends” in real life since he knew the names of many of my friends. Or he might just have picked the names up from my comp after he’d hacked it. The problem is I will probably never know. Who else uses you computer? Maybe your mom, a family member or friend has set up a FB profile to stalk, spy on you, etc… Have you ever used your cam yourself? It is a simple keyboard command to capture anything displayed on the screen. ---
**Author:** ![Lilian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5a626/32.png) [@Lilian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lilian)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-web-cam-ever-been-hacked/716906/37 "2015-04-10T21:22:46Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > Who else uses you computer? Maybe your mom, a family member or friend has set up a FB profile to stalk, spy on you, etc… Essentially my computer belongs to me but others are sometimes using it as well. Some members of my family have indeed a weird sense of humour but in this case I believe they’re innocent. I do suspect that one of my friends had hacked my web cam though. Problem is I don’t know WHO which has made me suspicious and wary of almost all of them. > [@](#): > > Have you ever used your cam yourself? It is a simple keyboard command to capture anything displayed on the screen. I used to before this happened. I didn’t take this pic myself because on the photo I’m sitting on my bed without any laptop in sight. The laptop is usually on my desk, and if you take a pic with it you get the right angle to where I’m sitting on my bed in the pic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-your-web-cam-ever-been-hacked/716906.md?page=1)