Billions of people today are being asked to check webcams – five signs you’ve been hacked and are being secretly watched

Cyber ​​criminals have the technology to remotely access your webcam and the rest of your PC via malware you accidentally downloaded.

If this sounds like a black mirror episode, that’s because it is.

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But hacking schemes are becoming more sophisticated – so you can catch a cybercriminal before it’s too late.

what are the signs

The first – and biggest – telltale sign is whether your webcam light is on.

Most webcams on laptops and PCs are accompanied by a small light that illuminates when the webcam is in use.

If it turns on at odd times, or you don’t intend to use your webcam, there’s probably someone else behind the lens.

Tech-savvy users have been advised to close all their active apps if this ever happens, just to ensure apps running in the background don’t accidentally trigger the webcam.

The second sign is that your battery is draining faster than usual as this could mean that a hacker has external access to your device and is using it when you are not.

The third mark is when you discover strange or unknown browser extensions.

Malware with remote access technology can sometimes be found in suspicious apps or browser extensions that can give hackers remote access to devices.

Alternatively, it’s not uncommon for a rogue browser extension to inadvertently open the webcam.

The fourth sign is when your PC is using more internet data than usual.

A sudden spike in your network traffic when you weren’t online may indicate someone else has access to your device.

Finally, when you come across save files on your device that you don’t recognize, this is an important red flag.

After a hacker captures footage through your webcam, they need to save the video or audio to the same device before transferring it to their own device.

This means random-looking files can appear out of nowhere.

If a hacker has webcam footage, they probably want to use whatever was recorded as blackmail.

If you are concerned that a hacker may have infiltrated your device, download trusted antivirus software.

And while your device is being cleaned, simply place a piece of tape over the webcam.

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