Last week, researchers at Johns Hopkins University’s
Department of Computer Science showed off an exploit that allows a hacker to
take over some MacBook computers and activate their Web cameras without the
users’ knowledge.
The webcam hacking technique, first reported by The
Washington Post, is said to be similar to a tactic used to spy on Cassidy Wolf,
a 19-year-old Miss Teen USA, who fell victim to a webcam hacker earlier this
year.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested the man
responsible for the spying on Ms. Wolf. He pleaded guilty to charges in
connection with his spying on her and a number of other women, using software
that could snap a picture or record video of them without warning.
The Johns Hopkins paper, titled “iSeeYou: Disabling the
MacBook Webcam Indicator LED,” explains how the researchers were able to
reprogram an iSight camera’s microcontroller to activate the recording
functions and LED activation lights independently to spy on someone without
giving that person any idea that the computer camera is in use.
This problem with the onsite LED indicator is a problem with
both old and new MACBOOKs.
Watch the full repot here from the
Washington Post
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