FBI director says tape is the best way to defeat webcam hacks
Found on Ars Technica on Thursday, 15 September 2016
Today, that leftover tape can now help us stave off a webcam hack—at least an attack that secretly films unsuspecting computer users. That's what James Comey, the Federal Bureau of Investigation director, said Wednesday. In April, he told Americans that he puts tape on his webcam.
Tape probably won't stop a nefarious hacker from listening to you, however. And toward that advanced goal, Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has also covered his computer microphone with tape. However, there's still no consensus among security experts about how effective that measure is, because adjusting a microphone's gain may still allow attackers to pick up ambient sounds.
It would cost a few cents per laptop to add something simple as a slider switch that physically disconnects camera and microphone. People these days rely too much on software solutions (that can be easily attacked) and ignore the simple, yet effective, physical methods.