Weird webcam security issue

[Dave_L]

Eye reflections in photos could help solve crimes, researchers say
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/12/30/eye-reflections-in-photos-could-help-solve-crimes-researchers-say/


What if you're video chatting with someone using your computer's webcam. Would the other person be able to use reflections in your eyes to read information on your monitor, or other stuff in your field of view?

[CharlesA]

Uh... maybe? I doubt a normal person would be trying to do that, though.

[grahammechanical]

Would the other person be able to use reflections in your eyes to read information on your monitor

Only if they could read mirror writing. Remember, researchers say many things and they do it to con more money out of the tax payer. Why not run a test? The next time that you are chatting using a web cam try and see if you can see any reflection in the other person's eyes.

Now, the stuff in the background is another matter. The authorities try to use what is in the background of child pornography videos to identify the location of the crime or the identity of the criminals. If I remember, correctly, there was a recent news item in the UK where this method was used to identify a child pornographer who was also convicted of the crime.

Regards.

[ofnuts]

Eye reflections in photos could help solve crimes, researchers say
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/12/30/eye-reflections-in-photos-could-help-solve-crimes-researchers-say/


What if you're video chatting with someone using your computer's webcam. Would the other person be able to use reflections in your eyes to read information on your monitor, or other stuff in your field of view?


Yes, possibly (and to answer another poster 1) with some training you can read a mirrored text, and 2) without training and some very simple software, you can, too). But, if you look at the original article, part of the strength of the technique comes from our ability to recognize faces even when heavily pixellated. But the reflection of text on your screen may be smaller than a couple of pixels in the webcam so I doubt it can be read if you are at a reasonable distance. But it shouldn't be hard to see see if you are looking at porn :)

And it's not always difficult to find where you are if you have a window in your back... I'm looking for an apartment and my wife and I have become expert at getting the exact location (and even level in some cases) in apartment ads just by looking at the scenery in the pictures. Google Earth is our dear friend :)

[mJayk]

haha ofnuts me and mine have just been house searching and we found our selfs doing the exact same thing :D.

[Dave_L]

Thanks for the replies.

My conclusion is that for maximum safety:

1. Wear dark, non-reflective sunglasses.

2. Place a sheet over yourself and the computer.

:twisted:

[tgalati4]

And don't forget the tin hat.

[t0p]

My previous webcam had a little red light to indicate when it was operating. But my current laptop has no such light. So Big Brother could be watching me at any time! A friend of mine is so concerned about this (her cam also lacks a light) that she's stuck a bit of gaffer tape over her computer's cam lens.

This may strike some as tin-foil-hattishness, but I remember reading about a case where a school was spying on its students via the cams on school-supplied laptops; the reason it was discovered was because of the cam light. No cam light = omg they are spying on me and I can't even prove it! I no longer dare watch online porn, so I don't really need my computer now and will replace it with a kindle (or do they have covert cams too? omg no more online porn ever again, what is the point of the internet?)

[ofnuts]

My previous webcam had a little red light to indicate when it was operating. But my current laptop has no such light. So Big Brother could be watching me at any time! A friend of mine is so concerned about this (her cam also lacks a light) that she's stuck a bit of gaffer tape over her computer's cam lens.
So does my daughter :) There is obviously a market for laptops with a physical sliding cover over the cam lens (and a real manual switch on the microphone).

[ssam]

My previous webcam had a little red light to indicate when it was operating. But my current laptop has no such light. So Big Brother could be watching me at any time! A friend of mine is so concerned about this (her cam also lacks a light) that she's stuck a bit of gaffer tape over her computer's cam lens.


You should not trust the indicator LED.
https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/handle/1774.2/36569

On the other hand, a 1MP webcam is not going to resolve much in a reflection. resolution is also limited by lens size (diffraction limit), so just because your phone claims to have a 10MP sensor, does not mean it can resolve 10MP.