In what can be deemed as yet another way that hackers have found to invade our privacy, a new study by Kaspersky Lab has revealed that there was a threat posed by cyber criminals who know how to “hijack” mobile device cameras, & record activities related to the individual owner including him/her having sex in the privacy of the bedroom.
A press release by Kaspersky, one of the world’s largest privately held vendor of endpoint protection solutions, said up to 90% of adults living in the United Kingdom now own a smartphone, but two-thirds were unaware that cybercriminals could send malicious software to take over their mobile device camera, stealing private, stored images & taking some of their own. This included not just deeply invasive & compromising pictures of the phone’s owner, but snapshots of credit cards or the simple act of getting dressed in the presence of the “compromised” device.
The study found that 83% of those surveyed never turned their mobiles off, unless the battery died, & 44% said the same for a Tablet. Yet over half, 57%, of adults have had sex within sight of a camera-enabled mobile phone, Tablet, laptop or PC. A third were used to getting undressed in the presence of such devices, & 44 % took them into the toilet or the bath.
The Kaspersky Lab poll surveyed 2,000 UK adults aged 18-44. The research took place between 14-18 August, 2014.
What was even more worrying, the firm said, was that a minority of consumers who did understand & could take action to reduce the risks – just a fifth of mobile phone & laptop users & and a mere 15 % of Tablet users – often resorted to measures that were far from helpful. For example, since it was impossible to disconnect the camera function in mobile phones & Tablets, just closing the icon or otherwise attempting to disable it was not enough.
Commenting on the research, Kaspersky Lab’s Senior Security Researcher David Emm said, “We think of our mobile devices as our window on the world, not realising that for cybercriminals it could be their window into ours. Hacking into a device’s camera offers those with malicious intent access to our images, our most intimate moments, our identities – and the people we want most to protect, such as our children.”
The study showed that consumers were often confused about the risk & unsure what to do even when they do understand. Just 1 in 3 of those who had done anything to secure their device camera had opted for security software, the only really effective solution.
The Deloitte Consumer Business practice presents the The fifth edition of the Deloitte Consumer Review
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