{"id":29497,"date":"2020-07-16T16:31:31","date_gmt":"2020-07-16T20:31:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/?p=29497"},"modified":"2020-07-29T17:43:26","modified_gmt":"2020-07-29T21:43:26","slug":"dont-close-your-macbook-with-a-camera-cover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mjtsai.com\/blog\/2020\/07\/16\/dont-close-your-macbook-with-a-camera-cover\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Close Your MacBook With a Camera Cover"},"content":{"rendered":"

Apple<\/a> (via MacRumors<\/a>, Hacker News<\/a>):<\/p>\n

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If you close your Mac notebook with a camera cover installed, you might damage your display because the clearance between the display and keyboard is designed to very tight tolerances. Covering the built-in camera might also interfere with the ambient light sensor and prevent features like automatic brightness and True Tone from working. As an alternative to a camera cover, use the camera indicator light to determine if your camera is active, and decide which apps can use your camera in System Preferences.<\/p>\n

[…]<\/p>\n

The camera is engineered so that it can’t activate without the camera indicator light also turning on. This is how you can tell if your camera is on.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Even assuming there’s no way around that<\/a>, the light only provides protection when you happen notice it. This will be some time—possibly short or possible very long—after the camera had started recording. If the software simply takes a photo and turns the camera back off, you might not notice the light flash even when sitting at the computer.<\/p>\n\n

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If you install a camera cover that is thicker than 0.1mm, remove the camera cover before closing your computer.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

I’ve been using a piece of electrical tape, which Wikipedia<\/a> says is between 0.18mm and 0.25mm thick. I’m not sure what you could use that would be thin enough to leave on.<\/p>\n\n

zelon88<\/a>:<\/p>\n

None of the proposed solutions do anything to actually stop the camera from taking a picture of you. Sure, you’ll see the indicator light up for 3 seconds. But the attacker still got what they needed.<\/p>

Camera covers have nothing to do with identifying compromise. They are strictly for preventing compromise. This is exactly opposite what a camera indicator light does, and thus the indicator should not be considered a “workaround” for not being able to install a camera cover.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

gtm1260<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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I was very skeptical of the camera covers, but then through conversations with some of my co-workers, I realized that they weren’t being used because people were worried about spies secretly turning on the camera. It was 90% of the time just peace of mind that their camera was actually off, instead of having to find the sometimes hard to see options in video chat programs etc.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

Previously:<\/p>\n