Since the start of pandemicwebcams have become a very important tool for students and people who work from home, as it allows them to appear in front of the rest and actively participate during video calls.
Although they are a necessary component in most computers, especially laptops, the truth is that they can be used to spy on someone without their consent. This act is known as camfecting and is a serious invasion of privacy.
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As detailed by ESET, one of the most recent cases of camfecting It happened in the UK. In January 2022, a man was jailed because he used a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) to spy on women and children through his computer’s webcams.
According to the publication, this subject persuaded his victims to download malicious software, which gave him access to their machine. He not only could turn the webcam on and off as he pleased, but he also searched for compromising images and videos.
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How to know if someone has access to the webcam of your PC or laptop?
1. It turns on by itself
Webcams have a light that comes on when they are being used. That is, if you notice that this device turned on and you are not using it, it is most likely that someone has done it remotely.
2. Presence of strange files
ESET specialists reveal that hackers often keep records on their victims’ computers, so check that you don’t have any documents or strange folders on your hard drive.
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3. There are unknown programs
Just like unknown files, strange software on your computer can be a sign that someone might be spying on you. For these cases, try uninstalling them and scanning the hard drive with some antivirus and antimalware.
4. Security features were disabled
Finally, note that the RAT programs used by cybercriminals often change the settings of their victims, especially those that have to do with computer security.
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Windows 10: what happens if you press the ‘Windows’, ‘Shift’, and S keys on a PC or laptop?
Most people who take screenshots in Windows 10 need to press the ‘Print Screen‘ and then open an image editor like Photoshop either painting to save the image. You may not know it, but there is a much easier way to do this that few know about.
If we press the keys ‘Windows‘, ‘Shift‘ Y ‘yes‘ in Windows 10 a small toolbox will appear at the top of our laptop either pc. Thanks to this function we can make 4 different types of screenshots.