I'm wondering how easy is it for a hacker, or anyone random, to access my web camera without my knowledge and if the light indicator (lights up when the camera is in use) will activate when it's being accessed like that. Also is there any software (I'm using Bitdefender) or something I can do to protect my laptop?
I bought a tiny cover from Amazon but it still covers the screen and the laptop doesn't completely close. It's not the end of the world, but I thought I'd ask. I read online a couple of articles, but I don't know which ones are valid and which ones are aimed to cause panic.
Edit: Thank you everyone for your replies! I'll keep the cover even if it doesn't fit well on my laptop
I was watching this TV series called "Money Heist" on Netflix. In one scene, the officers were able to hack and enable the front and rear facing the camera to take a picture of the bad guys. Usually, I would chop this up to movie hacking magic, however, after reading about Air Gap hacking using the standard HDD mechanical arm to transmit data. I have fewer limits on what I believe is possible with the right circumstances.
https://www.wired.com/2016/06/clever-attack-uses-sound-computers-fan-steal-data/
Anything can be "hacked" given enough time and dedication, including webcams and microphones on phones, laptops and desktops. The actual risk depends on your threat model and adversaries going after your data.
The NSA and GCHQ have captured images through people's webcams before.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/27/gchq-nsa-webcam-images-internet-yahoo