A new Mac malware could silently spy on your webcam conversations read more at here www.spinonews.com/index.php/item/1226-a-new-mac-malware-could-silently-spy-on-your-webcam-conversations

If you are a Mac user, you need to be extra careful other than covering your webcam there is a tool that can protect your privacy when you are online on Skype or other video messaging platforms.

Patrick Wardle, the director of Research at Synack, has devised an attack that enables malware to monitor a Mac and only record the video sessions when the webcam is in use. It is clever because when you expect the little green indicator next to the webcam to be lit up.

The webcam indicator light on Macs is hardware-based, suggesting that it may not be possible to power up the webcam and hide the fact that it is on from the user like, it can be done on other devices.

He explains that, there are no visible indications of this malicious activity, the malware can record both audio and video without fear of detection.

Basically, it is signaling the fact that it is making use of the webcam because a legitimate app, like Skype, is also using it the user has no reason to suspect that they are being secretly recorded by a third-party.

Wardle says, there are ways to detect when the webcam is used in such a way by malware, and that there will be a free tool for macOS and OS X users that features a detection mechanism and offers alerts when this attack is being carried out.

There is no word on whether Apple can block this piggyback method in a future operating system update.