DailyPost 672
AND NOW IT IS WEBCAM!
Way back in 2013, even before the earth shattering revelations of Edward Snowden, knowing the dangers of the Cyber Security worked, he had developed an fascinating protocol. Purely physical one. Anybody who he agrees to meet was to handover his mobile to him, which he switched off, removed the battery & then keep them in refrigerator freezer separately, before he got on talking. The mobile even when it was off could be manipulated to work as a listening device. This was the paranoia of the world’s best known hacker till date. But we are superhumans, the daredevils, living in a fools paradise. Wisemen learn from others mistakes, fools might be not even by their own.
Putting a tape on the webcam has been an advisory item for quite some time now. How many of us have followed? From Intel Chips to Webcam is the hackers playfield. The Threat Vector is increasing exponentially. And hacks are getting closer home, new type ones, in our neighborhood. “Cyber Frauds are a passe. The latesr cyber-crime is webcam-hacking.” This is what a news headline declares. The hacker has been demanding $2,200 in Bitcoins, otherwise he will upload the videos. This is the fate of a techie, a Bengaluru based software engineer, having the worst time of his life, tackling a hacker. The hacker claims to have made intimate videos by compromising the webcam of the techie.
The MO as claimed, has been to place malware in some porn site the techie visited. One infected the internet browser started working as Remote Desktop Protocol with a key logger. Thus the hacker gained control of the laptop / webcam. This would certainly not be the first case, most would be getting settled on hacker’s terms. Webcam – hacking is a new tool in the ever expanding toolkit of the hacker. Human ingenuity with technical hands on brillance is his forte. Thus, in a technology driven world he rules the roost.
Interestingly, the victim’s personal information was breached from nine sources, including three verified ones. Though Cyber Security experts say there is nothing to be worried about, in a digital world where password still remains the most popular world, the situation is worrisome. Cyber Security has still a long way to go in a Cyber Enmeshed world.
THE CYBER INSECURITY THREAT VECTORS ARE ENDLESS.
Sanjay Sahay