[smart (OP)]

Hi,

After having installed Skype, I noticed for the first time the presence of a functional webcam embedded into my laptop. I was surprised the webcam was working without me to configure anything. Is it possible that the webcam device become compromised on windows 7 ? I read http://www.howtogeek.com/210921/how-to-disable-your-webcam-and-why-you-should/ and disabled my webcam from the device manager since I don't use it. Is it insecure to run a webcam on windows and a potential privacy issue ?

 

[RD]

Look on the bright side : if your laptop gets stolen it can take a picture of the thief ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prey_(software)

[ BTW your paranoia is showing : would anybody be interested in spying on you ? , other than the drug-squad ].

[smart (OP)]

In theses times of mass electronic surveillance, only the paranoid survives...

So I've covered my webcam with black tape.

https://www.engadget.com/2016/09/23/the-fbi-recommends-you-cover-your-laptops-webcam-good-reasons/

[chris]

The answer is yes, webcams can be and have been compromised on many devices. It's just another example of how vulnerable we all are to cybercrime. This show on cybercrime will definitely make you think twice.

[RD]

In theses times of mass electronic surveillance, only the paranoid survives...

So those whom you imagine are surveilling you, are trying to prevent you from surviving ?

Take a week off from smoking weed, so the drug-induced paranoia wears off, then ask yourself ...
#1. Is there information that only you know which would make it worth the effort of surveilling you ?,
#2. Are you problematic enough to some organization which uses assassins, that they would prevent you from surviving ?, ( if you were you'd be dead ).

[smart (OP)]

So those whom you imagine are surveilling you, are trying to prevent you from surviving ?

Mass electronic surveillance is not the product of my imagination...

Mass interception of entire populations is not only a reality, it is a secret new industry spanning 25 countries

It sounds like something out of Hollywood, but as of today, mass interception systems, built by Western intelligence contractors, including for ’political opponents’ are a reality. Today WikiLeaks began releasing a database of hundreds of documents from as many as 160 intelligence contractors in the mass surveillance industry. Working with Bugged Planet and Privacy International, as well as media organizations form six countries – ARD in Germany, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism in the UK, The Hindu in India, L’Espresso in Italy, OWNI in France and the Washington Post in the U.S. Wikileaks is shining a light on this secret industry that has boomed since September 11, 2001 and is worth billions of dollars per year. WikiLeaks has released 287 documents today, but the Spy Files project is ongoing and further information will be released this week and into next year.

International surveillance companies are based in the more technologically sophisticated countries, and they sell their technology on to every country of the world. This industry is, in practice, unregulated. Intelligence agencies, military forces and police authorities are able to silently, and on mass, and secretly intercept calls and take over computers without the help or knowledge of the telecommunication providers. Users’ physical location can be tracked if they are carrying a mobile phone, even if it is only on stand by.

https://wikileaks.org/the-spyfiles.html

So, RD, I prefer smoking weed and having an open mind in tackling electronic surveillance systems rather than running an insecure operating system and being stubborn like you.

[mrsmith2211]

FBI Director Comey Suggests You Cover Your Webcam To Protect Yourself From Hackers…Or The FBI

full article here.
http://www.redstate.com/brandon_morse/2016/09/15/fbi-director-comey-suggests-cover-webcam-protect-hackers...or-fbi/

[RD]

FBI Director Comey Suggests You Cover Your Webcam To Protect Yourself From Hackers…Or The FBI
full article here.
http://www.redstate.com/brandon_morse/2016/09/15/fbi-director-comey-suggests-cover-webcam-protect-hackers...or-fbi/

The director of the FBI, & billionaire Mark Zuckerberg may be worth eavesdropping, but I doubt anyone reading this is.

Unless the webcam can see the keyboard as you input your bank details, what would be the point of a criminal monitoring it ?.  [ a keylogger would be more feasible way of doing that ]

BTW if you are interested in internet privacy, have a look at the large number of trackers on the RedState webpage (diagram attached) ...

[nicephotog]

Who needs cameras for laptop thieves.

Many people do not realize that in essence the client internet end (internet user) is in effect another server although it usually is a workstation or desktop individual.
That type of thing can often be committed by more of a con job of getting the user to respond to a file download offer to invoke malicious probe software that understands robotically operating the webcam software known to its malicious program.

That's why anti-virus companies like to update lists for their anti-virus software every week or two. Unfortunately it means subscribing and being connected to the internet of it has that flaw , but as much from software carried in on stick and disk to closed system.

The best thing to do is to install all your webcam software onto a removable drive e.g. a memory stick but first learn the DOS command for drive letter allocation.
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc753839(v=ws.11).aspx
When you have your removable drive ready it will have a normal allocation ,

For Example:
 ASSIGN letter=J E:\

Means the memory stick when it was mounted in windows was drive E and is now linked and referred to as drive J
 and the desktop icons of the program after installing the webcam software will all point to drive J in their hard copy program.
When finished with the webcam , switch it off and remove the memory stick.
When you put the memory stick in remember to ASSIGN the "correct" drive letter to it you gave it when installing the webcam software application folder to it before invoking the webcam software.