Entering a website can put your webcam at risk
It is what is known as click hijacking or clickjacking. Cyber criminals can make you click on a malicious link and start taking control of your device. In this case, when entering a web page they could make you click on a button to grant access permissions to the webcam and microphone. In most browsers it is enough to give these permissions.
What you can be doing without knowing anything is share your camera with an attacker. Logically, this will put your privacy at risk, since it could be spying on you without your knowledge. It would have access to everything that the webcam of your laptop or desktop computer records.
The strategy of cybercriminals is create a website that looks legitimate, safe and that does not raise suspicions. Sometimes they can also make the victim download a file and from that moment, when it is executed on the system, it is when the malware starts to load and the problem begins.
Sometimes the trick they use is sneak a malicious button inside other buttons that may seem harmless. Even use a simple game where you have to quickly click on different points on the screen. There comes a time when you come across that button that gives access permissions to your webcam and you click without realizing it.
What to do to avoid being spied on with the webcam
So, what can we do to avoid being spied on through the webcam? something important is disable javascript in the browser. This prevents you from being victimized through the trick of simply giving permissions when you click where you shouldn’t. In Google Chrome you have to go to the menu on the top right, go to Settings, Security and privacy, Site settings and there you go to JavaScript. Simply check the option to not allow JavaScript. Of course, it can affect you when it comes to seeing really reliable pages.
But it is also important to keep common sense and not make mistakes. For example, never click on a link without really knowing what’s behind it. Do not download files from pages that may be fraudulent, or install unofficial applications. That will help you avoid a lot of problems.
In addition, having a good anti virus it can be very useful to avoid security problems. In the event that you download a malicious document or any file by mistake, the antivirus will launch a warning message and you can delete it immediately so that it does not affect you.
Besides, keep everything updated it is equally essential. In many cases, vulnerabilities appear that can put your security at risk. What you should do is always install the patches and updates that are available for your operating system, applications or any driver.
As you can see, it is important to take precautionary measures. You can always see if they are monitoring the webcam. In case you detect something strange, acting quickly is important to prevent future attacks.
