I was recently checking a thread here that had some Youtube videos posted. For some reason my PC hung for a couple of seconds and I noticed an odd address loading when the page loaded. It was s.ytimg.com. So I looked it up and found this info....Click. Apparently this can make your Flashplayer turn on your camera, and microphone on your computer.

The website link tells you how to change the Flash settings. I have also blocked this sit in my host file

Good luck.

now where is there pyro when you need them to take care of the spy.
Interesting but if they want to watch me on my comp seems kinda dumb.
Not much info vie webcam i think that is more meant for flash players and games, and some web apps like live streams and video chats rooms.

Thanks for that warning, I checked and my default is set on deny.

Not much info? They can hear the phone calls you make, or any other sensitive info spoken in the room while your PC is running.

It also takes a toll on your PC when trying to load a page with multiple posted Flash videos. Pages load fast when you disable the option.

I'm not telling people what to do, just to be aware of it.

@ TJ - this is a really good find on your part! I did a bit of followup and found the following link where this particular blogger (Randy Abrams) provides step by step instructions on not just blocking third party access to your computer's camera but the rest of what he describes:Adobe Flash, The Spy in Your Computer

(why should I be surprised that Adobe is just another Orwellian Big Brother - )

He starts out with the following intro:

Great find Mac, thank you.

That small flash settings/privacy window thing has been there for YEARS, they probably already have a full database of footage on you by now

It is on every flash video/game on the internet, the only thing that surprises me here is that it is set to allow by default. Mine has always been on deny and I haven't touched it at all ..

Not me. The first thing I did was put a piece of black tape over the camera when I got my laptop.

The 2 times I did use the camera, Flash popped up for an update right after.

HHMMM...

BTW if you add s.ytimg.com to your host file it pretty much screws up Youtube.

I think because the actual videos are streamed from s.ytimg.com too.

Yeah the videos just hang. Also the whole site is just black text on a white background. No color, buttons, tables, ect. Everything is to the left hand side in a long list. So I think the majority of Youtube content must be hosted there.

It's their data server afaik "ytimg" is just like "ak.fbcdn" which is a fakebook server!!

It's on deny by default, I don't see the problem, it's not like we ban all application on our computer because they might be corporations spying on us. "Really, solitaire is not an innocent game, it's spyware".
The led of my camera lights up even when the driver are loaded, but it has NEVER lit up without explanation.

edit: just set it to enable, youtube didn't acces my webcam. I doubt youtube actually does access webcams.

Thanks for the Heads Up T_J....
I don't have a Microphone or Camera on my daily use
computers and all my Internet computers were defaulted
at DENY...

I'll check my Laptops with Cameras and Microphones later.

I suppose sheep don't see the Wolf in the background...

It's like if my neighbor pressed his eyes and ears on my
windows. I suppose you could imagine the response from
me he would dealt...

I'd rather be safe than sorry....
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure....
Better to wear your Laser Safety Googles/Glasses just in case
there would be a stray beam rather than after the stray beam
hits you in the eye...

Jerry

Thanks for the heads up big fella.

I had an unknown piece of software accessing my camera a couple of years ago, it may well have been Flash.

I went through all the softwear configs , editing host files , configuring routers/ firewallas ect...a blob of blu tack over the camera eased my paranoia , sometimes less is more.

Job done, spy all you want Adobe

Great info to share TJ, very informative & much appreciated! My machines all defaulted to 'deny' but now I know what to keep an eye out for...

article is old, and i think u manually have to allow it cam/mic access

most cameras nowadays have indicator lights when they are in use too

Definitely!! my notebook does have that, even the desktop from 5 years ago has a fat logiteQ c200 with a green 560nm LED :P

First of all, THANK YOU for the find! This is kind of crazy stuff....


and Someones a little paranoid...

I would advise against blocking it altogether unless you don't mind youtube not working... clearly google stores some image files there.

Just update your flash settings.

My laptop is only ~ a year old and has no indicator light. My GF's net book, and brand new Android tablet have no indicators either.

Some of you guys are missing the point. Its not the corporate, or legitimate content that you have to worry about. Its the content from phishers who plant exploits in those funny, geeky, or porn videos that everyone passes around.

These kinds of articles will always be relevant because there will always be a large amount of people that trust their software to protect them. My GF installed the new Norton Antivirus suit, and Malwarebytes found a spyware program bundled in the software. Apparently Norton stops spyware, but not the spyware that pays the Symantec company to bundle with their software.

Warning, the following may induce significant paranoid reactions from those suffering with delusions of having held onto any remnant of personal privacy.

Is Big Brother Watching? You Can Probably Count on It...



-> USA PATRIOT Act
-> Internet snoopery

-> Cellphone tracking
-> Tracking your car
-> (and I saved the best for last) Biometrics and facial recognition
2011/12/11 - Lyndon Henry is a researcher, writer, editor, and writing consultant. His blog is:
Privacy under attack — Are they tracking you?

Saw on Fox news last night the FBI and other government agencies are working on software to plug into Facebook, Twitter, ect, for monitoring of terrorist activities.

Our privacy was sold long ago. This should not be new news to anyone.

Hehe, well knowing that just takes the shame out of all my bad habits because if I'm ever confronted in the future by some gov officials at least I wont have to try explaining myself. 'What's the surprise sir, it's not like you didn't know'

I know there are a lot of good things that can come from technology, but soon it will control our lives completely. Its close now. They are using license plate recondition right now to scan everyone's plates without a human interface. When its fully enforced they will catch any minor infraction you have. Including any past government records that are in the system. Once this technology goes to human, and its close, you wont be able to get away with ANYTHING. Which means your freedom only goes as far as what they let you have. For some reason people do not want to believe it, and are welcoming it with open arms. I dont get it. The people are suppose to control the government, not the other way around.

Not surprising, but rather never ceasing to amaze at the level to which ever increasingly vast resources of devious creativity are sifting through the most minute and mundane details of our personal lives in such that soon, if not already, nothing remains personal and free will's guarantee is no more.