Do you have a camera on your laptop or computer? How about a webcam or maybe one or more IP (Internet protocol) security cameras scattered about your house or property? Maybe you even have a wireless baby cam and monitor. Some are two-way – did you ever think about that?
We've been looking at cyber crimes in our last few editions of "Friction Fridays" in an attempt to "rub you raw" about cyber criminals who are out to steal whatever they can from you.
Their thefts might involve bank account information (and money from your bank) or credit card account information (so they can charge your card "to the max"). They may even want to secure corporate/business secrets to sell to someone else.
A growing cyber threat centers on hackers who are out to steal "your privacy." These guys are trying to invade upon your day-to-day activities at work, home or even when you're just out-and-about. Your smartphone does have a camera, right?.
Cleverly crafted malware delivered via a hidden email or text message attachment may not only be mapping out your every location, it may be taking a series of pictures or a video clip that can be transmitted back to hackers across the cellular network.
I mean, where is your smartphone when you're in the bathroom, or when you're trying on clothes at a boutique, or when you're hot tubbing with your friends at a weekend party?
That smartphone you share your most intimate conversations with family and friends might even be transmitting those conversations to others without you ever knowing.
Are you afraid yet?
It’s the ultimate "techy form" of listening in – that old fashioned party line telephone. I bet none of my readers even know what a party line phone was, right?
The reality is that the vast majority of smartphones, even though we use them for internet connectivity, are totally unprotected from cyber threats. Nobody runs security technology like anti-malware on their phones.
Think about it – you use Bluetooth on your phone; you connect via WiFi or a hot spot on your home or work PC/laptop. When you do, that phone-based malware is spreading into your computer’s architecture.
There is an alternative threat as well, because smartphones use the same ports for communications and charging. Malware can even hide in your device charger, and then be spread to other devices when the same charger is used with those devices.
For example, you let your child's friends use your charger while they're at your house, and now everyone’s phone is impacted. They begin streaming videos from multiple perspectives. Next thing you know everything is on YouTube.
Even though they've done very little to safeguard us against such possibilities, our government recognized the possibility of smartphone (cellphone) camera threats long ago when they implemented restrictions against such devices allowed into secure areas.
Heck, you can’t even trust your phone really is turned off. That malware could be masking the "live status," making you think your phone is off when it's really streaming videos right and left.
Products like Norton (Symantec) Mobile Security, McAfee Total Protection for smartphones/tablets, ESET Mobile Device Security, Kaspersky Safe Mobile Browser, Bitdefender (for Android only), or Lookout (iOS or Android) all can provide better security against cyber threats than your mobile device provides alone.
Of course, your smartphone isn’t the only source of information gathering that's available to skilled cyber criminals. You might have a camera built into your laptop or attached to your PC. Back in 2014, more than 90 people were arrested in connection with a cyber attack on the reigning Miss Teen USA, Cassidy Wolf, who was photographed naked by her own computer as a result of remote activation of the webcam.
Today, many people are using IP cameras for home security. For example, you might have a two-way camera that works in conjunction with your door bell. Someone rings the bell, and you not only see who it is, but he can see you from your computer or phone when you answer.
Many home security systems offer camera surveillance options. Little did you realize they can potentially be hacked to spy upon you.
Sometimes these cameras are wireless. They can easily be hacked by someone parked down the street. Many baby monitors work this way. Not only do they allow you to monitor your baby, but they might allow the stranger down the street to watch you change diapers. If that doesn’t chafe you, I don’t know what will?
And it’s not just IP cameras and smartphones either.
Did you know your IP-addressed kitchen appliances may be gathering information about you – like when your coffee maker turns on (or more importantly, doesn’t turn on because you're on vacation)?
Roving bands of criminals armed with the right hacker software may be just around the corner waiting for you to leave and close the garage door via your phone App. Of course they could also be watching via your phone.
When you leave on the airport blue van, they immediately know your car is in the garage, which they can easily open because they captured your garage door code by cloning the data from your app. Next, they shut down your home alarm, because their malware has mirrored your smartphone app alarm codes to their own.
Once they are inside your house, they not only can clean you out, but load up and drive off in your car. Eight hours later, when you finally reach your destination and try to login to check your home security cameras, they don’t connect, because the criminals either disabled or stole them.
There is nothing like being rubbed raw while you're on a much-needed vacation.
How about your smart-refrigerator? It can become a source of a hack attack by serving as a conduit to transmit malicious emails to tens-of-thousands of internet users.
Yes, that's what I said. A recent criminal investigation revealed that a family’s refrigerator was used by hackers to transmit malicious emails across the internet.
And the list goes on and on... The more we include technology in our lives, the greater the risk of that technology being turned against us by those who seek to gain access into our personal information, lives and behavior.
Cyber threats abound, and they're here to stay. Self-protection really is the best mechanism to prevent unwanted intrusion into our privacy by the technology we have so come to rely upon.