Hi

Given the past histories on camera's unprotected ... is it possible to password protect one's camera on laptops when I run win8 ?

Or how should I best protect me from unwanted people to look through the camera ?

Thanks in advance.

Hi BTolstrup,

Do you mean you want to protect the webcam from being hacked online or something else? What is the main purpose of this operation?
If that is the issue, we could try to cover the webcam with a paper when we didn`t use the webcam. It is a physical method and it should be effective.
As for others using the machine physically, we should protect our password carefully and create the standard user account for them.

Best r

Hi

I was hoping one could create a password only for the camera function, so the password would be needed each time one were to use the camera.

That would prevent the camera from being hacked.

But I guess it is better to cover it from a physical perspective.

Thanks for the answer.

Regards

Password protecting your laptop camera directly is not possible but there are ways to prevent a hacker or someone from accessing you camera remotely. A quick camera security fix would be to cover the camera lens with tape or a piece of paper. This is only a Band-Aid resolution and does not resolve anything. 

There are a couple of ways to secure your camera. One is to disable the camera in the Device Manager and when you need to use it, enable it. 

1. Open Charms Bar via the desktop and click on the Settings option. Click on PC info.
2. Click on Device Manager.
3. Look for Imaging Devices. Expand the option. 
4. Right click on the camera and choose Disable.

A second alternative would be to disable Remote Access to your laptop.

1. Open Charms Bar via the desktop and click on the Settings option. Click on PC info.
2. Under Remote Assistance, click on Remote Settings.
3. Uncheck Allow Remote Assistance connections to this computer. 
4. Under Remote Desktop, select Dont allow remote connections to this computer.

Other ways to protect your laptop is using Windows Security Essentials for your anti-virus and you want to make sure that your firewall is running and setup properly. Always be cautious of disguised links, pictures, or email attachments as something desirable, such as free music, movies, or desktop wallpapers. Be wary of suspicious websites that offer similar items. Also be cautious about clicking on shortened links you may find on social media sites. Hackers may physically contact you by claiming there are problems with your computer. Theyll try to persuade you to install a program that allows them remote access to your computer, so that they can fix the problem. Simply ignore calls from those who claim they are tech support.