Is My Mac Camera Hacked?

Living in an increasingly digitized world means that hacker attacks can affect us in a myriad of different ways. As a response, users have become far more conscious about ways to protect themselves from unwanted invasions of privacy. One example is the possibility of being spied on through your Mac's camera. Indeed, certain malware threats are perfectly capable of establishing control over the camera and forcing it to record video, still images, or audio through the microphone. Some users do not want to take the chance and have resorted to covering the lens of their Mac's camera with covers or lids. If you do not wish to take such drastic measures, but want to increase your security, then explore the suggestions outlined below.

Keep an eye on the camera indicator

Apple assures its users that the camera indicator will always show when the device's camera is in use and that no malware can change that. So, checking the status of the indicator from time to time might be a wise habit to acquire.

Create a new profile without admin rights

A bit more serious approach is to create a user profile that lacks admin privileges and use it in your daily routines. Even if the account gets hacked, the hackers will not be able to hijack the camera due to the restricted privileges. To create such a profile, simply go to the Apple menu, open 'System Preferences,' and choose 'User & Groups.'

Don't pay attention to deceiving email

Most users start worrying about the camera on their devices after receiving a dubious scheme email. This is a common practice that unscrupulous people use to prey on unsuspecting users. They disseminate thousands of emails with a bogus message - the con artists claim to have deployed a malware threat to the user's Mac, hijacked the camera, and recorded an explicit video. Then, they threaten to start sending the embarrassing video to the victim's contact list, unless they get paid a certain sum.

Despite the initial scare that you might get upon receiving such an email, you should calmly realize that not one of the claims made inside is true. This is just a not-so-clever ploy employed by various fraudsters. The best response is to block the sender, delete the email, and make sure that you are protecting your Mac with a professional anti-malware solution.