WaPo: You’re not paranoid to cover your webcam. But the cameras you can’t cover are scarier.

WaPo: You’re not paranoid to cover your webcam. But the cameras you can’t cover are scarier. by Tatum Hunter:

But there’s a bigger question at play here, said Kavya Pearlman, CEO and co-founder of XR Safety Initiative, a not-for-profit that focuses on privacy and security in virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality settings. The cameras on our laptops, phones and tablets are now just a few of the many cameras capable of recording our activities. Soon, cameras on wearable devices like glasses could capture every moment of our days, Pearlman said. How will we guard our privacy when we’re surrounded by more cameras than our Post-it notes can cover?
How bad actors access webcams and other cameras

Outdated operating systems — software you haven’t updated in a while — are one way hackers could get access to cameras. Software updates usually include fixes for security vulnerabilities, so the longer you go without updating, the more likely your system contains bugs that hackers could use to pry their way in. Turning on automatic updates helps avoid a host of security concerns.

Most of the time, if hackers find a back way into popular operating systems from big companies like Apple or Microsoft, they’ll sell that information to governments rather than use it to spy on low-profile individuals, Ashkenazi said. An investigation by The Washington Post and 16 other news organizations detailed how the Israel-based company NSO Group sold spyware that could compromise iPhones and other Apple devices to foreign governments, which used it to surveil journalists, government officials and activists.