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Apple Warns Against Closing MacBooks With a Cover Over the Camera
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As long as the visual indicator is hardwired into the camera, I’m good. Prove this hardwiring can be bypassed.
No it’s not, he’s a high value target.
if somebody wants to hack my t2 MacBook Pro to take snaps of me laying around without a shirt on go at it. not sure why id care unless I was paranoid about nothing.
I wonder how many are covering the camera on their computer, but using an out of date easily compromised phone with wide angle cameras front and back while on the toilet or in the pursuit of other activities 😖
Meaning just what exactly? What is not "just working" here?
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How so? ad hominem is a logically fallacy that uses personal attacks.
@MacBookGamer posted a generalization and they're not wrong when comparing 99% of the population to the director of the FBI. Security wise we are uninteresting people in comparison.
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Because the FBI director is part of the intelligence community where bad foreign actors will certainly want surveillance on the head of the FBI vs you who works as a shift leader for 7-11. See the difference?
And you think that turning the camera on for a frame once in a while would be noticed by the user?
Work laptop is a Lenovo ThinkPad with a thick plastic bezel same as the rest of the housing. There won’t be damage to it. I would have never used it otherwise. You don’t put that stuff directly on glass.
The camera activation, the green indicator light being turned on, and your complete control over when and where your camera and microphones are used are all controlled by software. If I wanted to take control of your computer and spy on you, I would most certainly write my viruses and trojans to disable those safeguards. A piece of tape and a dummy plug inserted into the mic jack can't be hacked.
On my 2017 MBA, there's a slight ridge on the display that keeps some distance between the screen and the keyboard deck. I thought that would be enough of a gap for those stick-on slider covers... but it's not. Looks like the issue is worse for the newer models.
I recommend AGAINST using things like electrical tape to cover the camera. a Post-it note fragment is a better way to go until Apple produces their Macbook camera privacy kit (consisting of a small black adhesive square) that will MSRP for $19.99.
I find it interesting that many of the people who extoll Apple's marketing of "privacy" (even though it really is nothing more than a marketing gimmick) are the same ones who are calling people who cover their macbook camera, paranoid.
On a side but related note, ever wonder why no major hardware manufacturer produces a laptop without a camera? (or any network connectable device that can physically fit a camera)
I recommend AGAINST using things like electrical tape to cover the camera. a Post-it note fragment is a better way to go until Apple produces their Macbook camera privacy kit (consisting of a small black adhesive square) that will MSRP for $19.99.
I find it interesting that many of the people who extoll Apple's marketing of "privacy" (even though it really is nothing more than a marketing gimmick) are the same ones who are calling people who cover their macbook camera, paranoid.
On a side but related note, ever wonder why no major hardware manufacturer produces a laptop without a camera? (or any network connectable device that can physically fit a camera)
So today’s “clever, security & privacy minded” people cover up their Webcam and extol their virtue to the world.
Of course they forget the microphone on the laptop,and microphones on watches and smart hubs, TVs etc.
They’re happy to have the cameras and microphones on smart phones & tablets go everywhere with them, including the bathroom, the bedroom, and work.
Also they ignore the security cameras dotted around the house, and internet connected baby monitors.
They also throw their receipts directly in the trash, along with old paper bills and other personal documents.
They broadcast their movements on Facebook and Instagram etc.
But hey, they covered up the Webcam, so they've got that going for them...
Of course they forget the microphone on the laptop,and microphones on watches and smart hubs, TVs etc.
They’re happy to have the cameras and microphones on smart phones & tablets go everywhere with them, including the bathroom, the bedroom, and work.
Also they ignore the security cameras dotted around the house, and internet connected baby monitors.
They also throw their receipts directly in the trash, along with old paper bills and other personal documents.
They broadcast their movements on Facebook and Instagram etc.
But hey, they covered up the Webcam, so they've got that going for them...
Have you tried the following, they fixed mine for me in the new year due to "Staingate":
1) There was a recall on them and they were fixing Macs purchased in the last 4 years for free without question.
2) However, if you bought your Mac within the last 6 years in England/Wales or 5 years in Scotland (not sure about NI) then you could ask them to repair it under EU consumer law as it's a manufacturing fault and they'll have to do it. They don't always tell you that so you have to mention it.
They told me that they were still fixing Staingate issues. Having said that, the first genius dismissed it, I made another appointment as I wasn't happy and the second one agreed it was an issue and discovered a logic board fault too which they also replaced - I was still under AppleCare though. Then my SSD failed and I think they did that under EU...
My Thinkpad had one built in. Pretty cool.
Yes. I use it.
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That should be the inverse.
Prove it can’t.
Maybe IFixIt will / can show us?
Half way through reading this thread, I feel half of replies shows how stupid many people’s view actually are, at least regarding this camera issue.
Just a simple logic: a hacker would’ve not let you know you are being hacked. If they let you know, either he/she is doing security analysis or he/she is bad at hacking. There is no middle ground.
Onto another fallacy here. Just because you are using the Mac doesn’t mean you are free from being hacked. This is simply wrong. Even if Apple does their best effort to bolster system security, there is always going to be a security breach that is yet to be found. Stop believing Apple will safeguard your privacy. It’s just marketing bs that is designed to mislead people.
I rarely thought about webcam security, though I was personally interested to have a computer with all kinds of hardware switches. This thread may inspire me otherwise.
Just a simple logic: a hacker would’ve not let you know you are being hacked. If they let you know, either he/she is doing security analysis or he/she is bad at hacking. There is no middle ground.
Onto another fallacy here. Just because you are using the Mac doesn’t mean you are free from being hacked. This is simply wrong. Even if Apple does their best effort to bolster system security, there is always going to be a security breach that is yet to be found. Stop believing Apple will safeguard your privacy. It’s just marketing bs that is designed to mislead people.
I rarely thought about webcam security, though I was personally interested to have a computer with all kinds of hardware switches. This thread may inspire me otherwise.
Instead of accepting that a growing number of people have real concerns over cam security, you decide to ridicule the concerns by saying those same people ignore much more obvious security concerns? Thats not even a rebuttal, that's a straw man argument.
Pretty hard to use a computer while it's closed. For now though, I'll just refer you tp posts 119 and 121.
No it’s not. Here’s the definition of a Straw Man:
By exaggerating, misrepresenting, or just completely fabricating someone's argument, it’s much easier to present your own position as being reasonable.
I didn’t exaggerate or misrepresented anyone’s argument. I simply pointed out that anyone who thinks that covering up a webcam helps in their security but then ignores the dozen or so, potentially far bigger, elephants in the room, is fooling themselves.
People seem to focus on webcams but are oblivious to the other, potentially far bigger risks.
Apt advice on windows
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Please provide link, as far as I can tell that is not true on macs for a long time, but then, those weren’t the subject of article
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Stupid is right, Camera led is hardwired, not hackable. Camera security is in OS (maybe they use windows under boot camp - now that’s a concern). If you have a demonstrable article on a hack of camera. Insert link here. Otherwise, you are just saying it might be, which, well, is not the same thing as there is
but anyway, got to be pretty ignorant to close a laptop with an object inside it. Hey I get if it does not close tightly, but sheesh, if your object (rock, pen, camera cover) does not allow it to close, it should not be there.
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