It’s something I’m pretty sure that we’ve all heard in college — the common idea that Macs don’t get infected by cybercriminals. Not only is that idea false, but everyone should have security software on her laptop, regardless of which O.S. is running.
Take Cassidy Wolf as a prime example. (Trust us, she wants us to.) As a rising sophomore in college, Cassidy won the title of Miss Teen USA in August 2013. In the same year, she was unknowingly being spied on by her former high school classmate. In an interview with NBC’s Dateline, Cassidy explained, “I had a laptop that I would keep in my room 24/7.” Back in March 2013, she received a notice from Facebook that someone had tried to change her password. A half an hour later, she received an email from a seemingly unknown stranger saying that he’s hacking all of Cassidy’s accounts and has all of her personal information. Most disturbing of all, there were two photos at the bottom of the email of Cassidy changing in her room. She described the whole feeling she got from that to NBC’s Kate Snow. Cassidy recounted, “I was so confused. Honestly, I had no idea, and it took a couple of seconds to sink in — those were taken through the webcam on my computer.” The hacker had sent Cassidy a link to malicious software that she had clicked on, which essentially gave the hacker entire control over her computer but was done in such a manner that it was not obvious until he sent the email. He threatened to post nude pictures of her to the Internet unless she did as he said, so Cassidy notified law enforcement. The technical name for this practice is “slaving” a computer, where the computer’s controls are taken over by another computer. It can happen to just about any computer regardless of operating system. Even more frightening is that on some computers cybercriminals can even disable the light next to the webcam so that it can record and take photos with the light turned off. As for the Cassidy’s hacker, he was personally apprehended, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Unfortunately, these crimes are likely underreported because the victim essentially has to claim that she was, in a sense, sexually assaulted. Cassidy finishes her story by saying if this were to happen to you, you should tell someone who can help you.
Be proactive. Here’s what you can do:
Install the free anti-virus program provided by Cornell Information Technology (CIT) and keep it updated. If you need help, just ask CIT. It’s in their best interest that your computer is protected because if left unprotected, your computer could potentially be an entry-point of harm in the Cornell network.
If you are still feeling uneasy, you can cover your webcam with something when not in use, such as a sticker. Something that is not sticky in the center, such as a Band-Aid is ideal, but you can also get creative and make something more personal that not only protects your privacy but also looks pretty! There are also specially-designed stickers and plastic clips to cover webcams available to purchase online.