If you own Apple's MacBook, you should cover up it's webcam, because there's a possibility someone could be watching you.
Like most webcams, the MacBook also has a tiny green light lets you know that the webcam is active, but it's possible for malware to disable this important privacy feature on older Mac computers (models released before 2008).
Matthew Brocker and Stephen Checkoway, students from Johns Hopkins University created a proof-of-concept app called "iSeeYou" that confirmed that MacBook iSight webcams can spy on their users without the warning light being activated.
A young man recently pleaded guilty in court to extortion after he performed a remote hack on Miss Teen USA's webcam to secretly collect nude photos. It was revealed through court papers that the FBI has the ability to do the same thing with a variety of current laptops including Apple products.
To make it possible, they created a modified version of the iSight firmware and then re-programmed the camera with it. In order to disable the LED, they activated STANDBY mode, but also configure the image sensor to ignore it successfully through their modified firmware.
The software used to remotely control iSight was Remote Administration Tool (RAT), which is used by IT departments and educational institutions to administer large numbers of computers.
This type of hack doesn't require the hacker to have physical possession of the laptop nor does it require administrator privileges.
The research focused on the MacBook and iMac computers released before 2008, but hackers could use the same techniques to compromise newer devices too.
Are you sure that your laptop's camera is not turned on? .. Now put a small piece of tape across the camera.
