Last I heard was in the newer Macs the camera and green camera indicating light were hardwired so the camera couldn't be turned on without the light coming on. I know I'm nuts but am I in this?
I understand older MacBooks could be activated by the NSA without triggering the camera light, if I recall leaked information from Ed Snowden correctly.
Unlikely to be true.
Power goes through the light and onto to the camera. There is no software involved. You cannot switch in the camera without activating the light. The NSA may all powerful in your mind, but they’re not warlocks.
In theory, it might be possible to flip the camera on and off so fast that the user might not see the light, but that’s a theory.
I think the key word here is ‘older.’ I can’t say for sure, but if the light was activated by the operating system and not simply hardwired and activated when power was supplied to the camera it theoretically could be possible.
Because the display is really thin and it's actually a miracle that they manage to put a functional camera in it. I don't think there's enough room to put a slide.
Because the display is really thin and it's actually a miracle that they manage to put a functional camera in it. I don't think there's enough room to put a slide.
So.... form over function.
Of course. It's a laptop. every Single laptop on the planet makes compromises for the form factor; MacBooks are no exception. I have a sneaking suspicion if Apple asked people if they would rather have the lid be 1.5mm thicker for a slide to cover the camera or keep it 1.5mm thinner the overwhelming majority would keep it thinner. Myself included.
Last I heard was in the newer Macs the camera and green camera indicating light were hardwired so the camera couldn't be turned on without the light coming on. I know I'm nuts but am I in this?
I understand older MacBooks could be activated by the NSA without triggering the camera light, if I recall leaked information from Ed Snowden correctly.
Unlikely to be true.
Power goes through the light and onto to the camera. There is no software involved. You cannot switch in the camera without activating the light. The NSA may all powerful in your mind, but they’re not warlocks.
In theory, it might be possible to flip the camera on and off so fast that the user might not see the light, but that’s a theory.
I think the key word here is ‘older.’ I can’t say for sure, but if the light was activated by the operating system and not simply hardwired and activated when power was supplied to the camera it theoretically could be possible.
Ah. Right you are.
Then if you’re using a Mac made before 2008, cover the lense. I’m not sure there are that many Macs older than 12 years in regular use. (The longest I run a Mac is about nine years).
Use Oversight from Objective-See and other apps from this well known Mac security researcher. It will display an alert any time the webcam or microphone is activated and give you the option to permanently allow or deny that app’s access to the devices or to allow just once. I always use the later option, that way when I come back I can always see if an app has activated these devices when I was away from the keyboard.
This Notification works even if this is activated while logged in with another account. I switch back to my account and I can see how many times my kids used the webcam and what apps they used it for.
No, they've always warned against using cleanersclearly it's happened to users.
Oh yes. All 3 of them on the entire internets right?, oh wow. I’ve cleaned 100’s of laboratory macs, for many years. no issue. Ever.
Good for you! However, it's very possible to ruin your anti-glare and oleophobic coatings using the wrong kinds of cleaner, and that's what they were warning about. Not sure where you got "3 of them" but that's clearly bullshit.
Isn’t the camera managed by the T2 chips on newer macs? The stuff Snowden talked about no longer applies right?
The point is a cover (masking tape) cannot be software hacked. Or how about someone knows or sees you typing your password, they can’t login and set something up with tape across there.
The camera is still compromised, you won't be able to use it without exposing to hackers. More importantly, if they can hack your camera, they could certainly do the same with your microphones or etc. so we're back to software/firmware protections.
There's T2 and antivirus available, being a responsible individual is more important than having a physical cover. Every hardware-related design it's just a "fail-safe" option.
Why they haven’t bothered putting in a sliding switch or other method of manually covering the camera is a total mystery.
Because the LED next to the camera on modern Macs is physically tied to powering the camera. No LED illuminated - no camera power. It's a feature!
It is a safety feature, just as previous Apple cameras were wired to prevent such snooping, but don’t fall victim to assuming that because a measure was taken that it’s foolproof. For all you know a hacker could alter power fluctuations to the camera module that could cause the camera to work intermittently without the light noticeably working.
PS: Why always so much concern for the camera and none for the microphone? I’d love to have a hardwired light that tells me when the mics are active.
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I think the key word here is ‘older.’ I can’t say for sure, but if the light was activated by the operating system and not simply hardwired and activated when power was supplied to the camera it theoretically could be possible.
Though as many people have been saying since 2008, there are far easier ways to hack into your computer than by going through the camera.
The days of the MacBook are numbered, those with iPad Pros already know that.
PS: Why always so much concern for the camera and none for the microphone? I’d love to have a hardwired light that tells me when the mics are active.