Tue Sept 17, 2002 (original story...)
Security holes let remote attackers take over your webcam.
Hackers could peek at your bank statement, your tax return, the files on your hard drive. These scary scenarios have become common, but now a new warning says hackers could even take control of your webcam. Tonight's "Tech Live" reports.
Security firm Navastream released details of a handful of vulnerabilities in Polycom's popular ViewStation webcams. The holes allow a remote attacker to point and click their way into another person's computer to take over the webcam, record video-conferencing sessions, retrieve files, or crash the device.
Polycom says it addresses the holes in a recent upgrade available for free download at its site.
But Navastream points to vulnerabilities in the password protection of many remotely accessible video conferencing programs. It says the open transmission of passwords during Internet communication without the use of secure socket layer (SSL) or HTTPS encryption puts passwords at risk. On the Navastream website the company explained, "Any potential attacker monitoring the connection with a network sniffer will be able to retrieve the password to gain access to remote management controls."
To patch the holes, Polycom users should install the upgrade at the Polycom site.
Navastream suggests the use of a personal firewall to monitor incoming and outgoing traffic.
Here is some information on firewalls.
