I Spy Through Your Little Eye…

Newton’s third law states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Even though this particular statement refers to the law of motion it also seems to apply to technology…

Today’s technology advances at a tremendous rate and it seems that with every new technological achievement comes a new security hole that is quickly exploited by hackers and cyber criminals. In 2005, a computer programmer was arrested in Madrid, Spain for taking over webcams to record pictures and videos of unsuspecting user on the other side of the camera. More recently this trend went ‘enterprise’ when a New York Times article profiled a series of global video conferencing systems that were hacked. The conference room hacker quickly gained access to high-quality video feeds, potentially confidential meetings, and other proprietary information.

Sure the chances of this happening to you or me may be slim but the truth is it can happen to anyone. Many companies—even fortune 500 companies like Cisco, LifeSize, Sony and others—have video conferencing equipment that is not adequately protected from outside threats. Organizations continue to spend millions of dollars on high-definition video and sound systems to visually connect with business partners across the globe; meanwhile, securing these communications remains an afterthought.

So remember, next time you are purchasing a new gadget, webcam, or a state of the art video conferencing system remember Sir Isaac Newton’s third law – slightly adapted for today’s modern world, of course.