Macbook users can become victims of webcams

Breaking and sneaking on the webcam on your computer is not a new thing, but according to The Washington Post, one can turn on the camera of a MacBook that the owner doesn't know.

Stephen Checkoway , a computer scientist, said that the iSight camera on Apple computers has a microcontroller that establishes the link between the camera and the signal light. When the chip is active, the lamp will light up every time the camera is active. However, if you can hack and reprogram this chip as Checkoway does, we can disable that lamp.

Macbook users can become victims of webcams Picture 1
Signal lights can be disabled!

Checkoway has created a software to prove that its discovery is correct, and it applies to MacBooks released from 2008 and earlier. It is also possible that newer Macs may also be hacked in this way, but no one has yet made a specific implementation. Of course, such unauthorized webcam activation is in violation of user privacy laws.

Marcus Thomas , a former FBI technology executive, also revealed that the security agency found a way to activate the webcam on the computer without signaling. That method has been used by the FBI for many years to track suspects.