One Light, One App: Tackling a Common Misperception Causing Breach of User Privacy

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Built-in and computer-connected web cameras can be hacked with malware that aim in activating the camera without setting on the green led indicator (in systems that support this feature). A simple countermeasure to at least preserve the user privacy, until the security incident is contained, is to cover the camera up when not in use. One could also argue that there is a sense of security when an application (e.g. zoom, WebEx, Skype) is using the web camera and the light is on. The user trusts that there is one-to-one relationship between the web-camera (and its light indicator) and an application. In this paper, we tackle this common misperception by demonstrating that the aforementioned relationship could be one-to-many, allowing many applications accessing the web camera stream simultaneously, posing a serious privacy threat that could go undetected.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationICT Systems Security and Privacy Protection - 37th IFIP TC 11 International Conference, SEC 2022, Proceedings
EditorsWeizhi Meng, Simone Fischer-Hübner, Christian D. Jensen
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Pages398-411
Number of pages14
ISBN (Print)9783031069741
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022
Event37th IFIP International Conference on ICT Systems Security and Privacy Protection, SEC 2022 - Copenhagen, Denmark
Duration: 13 Jun 202215 Jun 2022

Publication series

NameIFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology
Volume648 IFIP
ISSN (Print)1868-4238
ISSN (Electronic)1868-422X

Conference

Conference37th IFIP International Conference on ICT Systems Security and Privacy Protection, SEC 2022
Country/TerritoryDenmark
CityCopenhagen
Period13/06/2215/06/22

Keywords

  • macOS
  • Privacy
  • Simultaneous access
  • Web camera

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