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South Africans conceal their Webcams

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 29 Jun 2016
A Kaspersky study shows 13% of South Africans cover up their Webcam in an attempt to protect their privacy.
A Kaspersky study shows 13% of South Africans cover up their Webcam in an attempt to protect their privacy.

A small portion of South Africans mask their Webcams to protect against malware that could potentially be using the camera to secretly record their movements, according to a Kaspersky report.

Webcam security was thrust into the spotlight last week when a photo of Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, appeared to show the camera and microphone on his MacBook covered with tape.

The report reveals at least 13% of South Africans admit to doing the same to protect their privacy.

"Useful in itself, it's important to recognise that covering a Webcam cannot prevent audio interception and protect users from being listened to by hackers or malicious groups," the report warns.

Some South Africans (11%) admit to avoiding Google and Facebook because of the personal information these sites gather.

Another 34% believe storing sensitive data on a device that is not connected to the Internet guarantees the protection of the data.

"Although this theory is grounded in logic, and is essential for securing backup data from the effects of a ransomware attack, even without an Internet connection it is possible for a device to be infected via a connected smartphone or USB stick," the report states.

On the other side of the spectrum, the report shows other Internet users are severely lacking in cyber-savviness. Only 26% of South Africans said they feel targeted online and 16% said they do not think a security solution is necessary.

Globally, 8% of survey respondents admitted to hiding their computers from other people, and 7% said they devote time to entering, then erasing, credit card data when paying online, in an attempt to confuse viruses.

"These findings demonstrate two extremes - on the one hand, there are people who think they can keep their data safe by, for example, hiding their computers; on the other hand, there are still those who are simply not taking the necessary precautions online," says David Emm, principal security researcher at Kaspersky Lab.

"People need to become more cyber-savvy - with today's security solutions, it's possible to protect yourself from cyber threats, without having to go to the extreme lengths of hiding a computer."

It is possible for users to protect themselves from online threats, by using the correct software and not having to resort to extreme, or inaccurate, methods, the report concludes.

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