If you’re reading this article from a laptop, the laptop’s built-in webcam is probably staring right at you. Worse, there could be a real person watching you through the camera. It doesn’t take a genius to hack into someone’s webcam because even script kiddies can take advantage of programs online to spy on people. To protect yourself and your privacy, learn how to disable your webcam.
A secure way of disabling a built-in camera is through the BIOS. It’s a firmware found in many computers where configurations for hardware components are available. Accessing the BIOS is typically done by pressing the Esc, Delete or a particular Function key (depending on the computer) after turning on the computer. Some computer manufacturers, such as Dell and Lenovo, include an option in the BIOS that disables the camera. The BIOS screen varies between manufacturer, so just search any labels that refer to the webcam and set it to disable or lock.
You can also disable the webcam through your operating system. Look for a built-in utility that lists all the hardware components of your computer. For Windows, this is called the Device Manager, which is accessible through the Control Panel. Any active cameras, whether built-in or external, are listed under “Imaging devices” in the Device Manager. Simply right-click on the camera and select Disable.
If you often use your webcam and don’t want to go all the trouble of disabling it, there are simpler alternatives. Just close the laptop lid when you’re done using the computer, or cover the camera lens with an opaque tape. If you’re using an external webcam, just unplug it from the computer. You might also want to cover the built-in mic so hackers can’t listen in to your conversations. It also pays to avoid opening unknown links and files, which could contain the malware that allows hackers to activate your camera and start snooping.
