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Peeping Tom Worm That Uses Webcams
Ant writes "The Register mentions a new Windows worm known as Rbot-GR that is currently circulating accross the net. It has the capability to spy on users using webcams. " I'm surprised that it took this long.
Now, can somebody port it to cameraphones?
do the Editors expect IT Managers to use this worm to spy on their employees or something?
sulli
RTFJ.
Sub 7 / BO and others have given the user *cough* kiddie *cough* this ablility for some time.
Sure they're not a worm, but the idea isn't new.
Funny now that I think about it, but I used to use Sub 7 on my home computer so I could access it from anywhere via an odd port and password protected. I could view my web cam, take control of my computer, ftp files upload and download to where-ever I was.
Honestly, it was an extremely useful program. And when I was done, I'd just shut down the server.
I've moved over to linux so I can ssh now, but as windows went, it was still one of the best remote programs I've ever used.
www.slightlycrewed.com - Because aren't we all?
Why do i run webcam?
Because I can. No other reason; it's totally pointless.
My Intel PC Camera Pro has a nice shutter that you can slide over the lens. I always use it, kind of automatically. IMHO most webcams should have something like that but it seems many don't.
You wouldn't catch much of interest in my home office now ("Ooo! Look! He's watching the printer!"), but when I bought my webcam back in college I intentionally sought out a model with a manual power switch and lens cover for this very reason.
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you!
Seriously, spreading a trojan to a collage is easy enough, just email the whole school. You'll get a few hundred hits. The real question is, how do you connect to it after you help them go live?
This article leaves much to be desired in department of does your system become vulnerable but do nothing, does it record and push the video somewhere, does it just mean that it is now possible for someone to connect? I'm curious as to if this is real or just a scare story.
Didn't the author take into account that way more than 99% of the time, webcams aren't pointed at anything interesting?
Yeah but it's that one percent that MAKES IT ALL WORTHWHILE.
(not)
Need Mercedes parts ?
I've never coded a trojan, or even downloaded on on purpose. But I've always wondered why they didn't use the victoms machine better. Setting up a web page on it and then "auto-spam" the url to people using email, p2p, messanger type applications. They could offer a glimpse into someones computer, web camera like your tipical porn site. And then have a option to 'Find other camera' or 'view full page viedo' something along that line, where the user is mislead into installing the 'worm/trojan' on their own computer. In return for installing the trojan they could get better quality, and a list of other infected hosts. After completing the 'registration' or what ever the perps computer would become another infected 'node'. This could lead not only initial infections from exploits, and 'mail clickers', but to a second group of uneducated users who choose to abuse the problem and in the process 'help' spread the infection by people actualy telling their friends about the cool new underground site they found. Make it some nice p2p network and you could have a 24/7 voyuer network set up. Kinda a subseven/kazza type back door hidden, And a interface on a webport allowing others to access the network who don't even need to be infected. The common user would only think, i'm only visiting a site, I'm not running anything on my computer.
Alfred Hitchcock liked playing a similar practical joke on people. If he and a friend were in an elevator, and other people he didn't know stepped into the elevator with them, he would turn to his friend and say something like "oh yes, there was blood everywhere. Blood all over the walls, soaked into the carpet, on the door handle..." He would stretch talk like that out until he and his buddy left the elevator, leaving the context of the conversation as a mystery for the other occupants.
The middle mind speaks!
her name, address and phone number genlocked at the start
Ok, I'll be the g33k that will nitpick, when we're talking about porn. I'll shoot myself later.
"genlocked" ermm... That's interesting. I've never hidden information in 100% black before... Genlock = black burst signal sent to professional (usually analog) video gear to keep everything synchronized... ie Pro camera: Genlock goes in, acquired video is synchronized to said reference signal, video w/burst goes out... Perhaps the auther means title or key?
Let the -1 trolling begin.
All of our webcams, except one, are covered. :-)
chongo (was here)