Hackers use a type of malware to take over the webcam of some Internet users, mainly to spy on them from their computer, something that can be as unpleasant as it is dangerous.
A report published on the portal of Zone networks explains a trick with which you will be able to know if the webcam of your laptop or PC was hacked and what you can do to prevent this from happening to you. We detail it below.
Activate the notification of use of the webcamp in Windows
Most laptops include an LED light that lights up when the camera is in usebut it may happen that it is damaged or that your computer does not include it.
The solution to this problem is Activate another function that Windows 11 includes to know if you are being spied on through your webcam. To activate it, you have to go to the operating system registry and configure it to launch a desktop notification every time this happens.
Press the Windows + R key combination and run regedit. Once there you have to go to the following path to access the configuration: ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftOEMDeviceCapture.
When you are there, you have to double click on NoPhysicalCameraLED. You will see that by default the value that is marked is 0. What you have to do is put the value 1 and accept. Once you’ve done that, simply restart your computer for the changes to take effect. This will allow a notification to appear in Windows every time the camera starts up.
Check camera history
Another recommendation is view history to see if it has been active before. To see it you have to go to Start, enter Settings and go to Privacy and security. There you have to look for the Camera section and click on Recent Activity.
That section will indicate if the camera has been used recently or not. If you see that it has been used and it was not you, then you may have intruders on your computer.
If you notice suspicious activity from your camera, change the factory settings of the webcam. It is also recommended keep drivers up to date and apply security settings.
