Facebook fixes 'Peeping Tom' webcam bug - AFTER 5 MONTHS

Facebook had a busy time over the holiday period fixing several security flaws, including a webcam-related vulnerability that allowed hackers to record video from a user's web camera and post it on their timeline. "An attacker could trick a user to silently record his webcam video and publish it to his Facebook wall, without …

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh the fcuking Zuckerberg irony...

"It isn't about privacy settings" Have you talked to your brother about that?

[LarsG]

Another normal day in the Facebook Universe.

[Bernard M. Orwell]

"Another normal day in the Facebook Universe"

Yeah, utterly the opposite of any other software company where they never need to make fixes immediately following their discovery, eh?

Whats that? Patch Wednesday? Never heard of it....

[ItsNotMe]

Re: Oh the fcuking Zuckerberg irony...

Not really a problem...if you don't use Farcebook in the first place.

[Bernard M. Orwell]

Re: Oh the fcuking Zuckerberg irony...

ehrmargerd! There is data about me on facebook.....or the internet....or my computer.... I'd best stop using them! People might KNOW things about me! I'd best stop talking to them on my phone, or in email, or in person or....or...on forums!

The monastery awaits.

[Rampant Spaniel]

Not blaming others for your own screwups

It's real world etiquette.

[Bakunin]

Automated Sincerity

The fact that it's done through Facebook aside, an automated message to your "friends" is a little lacking in sincerity.

Perhaps there's an app in that idea; a daily check on your friends status' for any mention of deceased and we'll rush out flowers and bill your credit card. That way your prompt response will make it look like you really care.

[I ain't Spartacus]

Re: Automated Sincerity

Bakunin,

That's a great idea. Just let me set up this online florist over here, register them for deliveries in my area with Facebook, get me a few more friends on there, then announce the deaths of a few relatives. Then... Profit.

Of course, they might spot me after 2 false death reports, so in a further twist on the scam, I could start murdering my relatives. Christmas has put me in the correct frame of mind for that.

What's the going rate on a dead cousin? I've only got 3 brothers, and I don't want to use them all up at once...

[Tom 35]

Digital etiquette:

Don't post anything private on the internet.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Digital etiquette:

It's very, very good advice, but did I miss the bit in the article where an end user posted something private on a public forum....?

[Mike Flugennock]

from the "More Irony Than You Can Stand" Dept:

According to the Guardian article, Zuckerberg's sister is the producer of a reality TV show.

D'ahhhh ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha hahhh.

[David Hicks]

Not really sure why a web browser

Ought to be able to interact with my webcam anway. Seems like a *really* bad idea.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Not really sure why a web browser

I dunno, maybe something radical like real time video chat?

[Oninoshiko]

Re: Not really sure why a web browser

yes, but why would you want to use a web browser for real-time video-chat? Wouldn't it make more sense to have a application written for that task, rather then one which was clearly not?

[David Hicks]

Re: Not really sure why a web browser

Indeed, and a browser is an application that runs al sorts of 'stuff' from all sorts of sources at that, so not one I like the idea of giving direct access to much in the way of hardware.

[Woodgar]

Re: Not really sure why a web browser

If it's in a browser then it'll be platform agnostic, or at least hopefully so, whilst an individual app/program will have to be developed for each platform with all the usual comparabilities that throws up.

[hold2ransom]

It would appear that Zuckerberg's sister Randi is as graceless and charmless as he is. FFS she worked for Facebook and is not aware of it's shortcomings with respect to both privacy and security of data? Ah of course Facebook says "all your data here belong me" so it's not your privacy they are concerned with.

[VinceH]

"It would appear that Zuckerberg's sister Randi is as graceless and charmless as he is. FFS she worked for Facebook and is not aware of it's shortcomings with respect to both privacy and security of data?"

In this case, however, she is probably right that the problem isn't the privacy controls, but the behaviour of the person who posted the picture elsewhere. That person saw it because a mutual friend was tagged - had she posted a link to the photo on Facebook, only those who are Randi Zuckerberg's friends on the site, or people who are friends of those tagged in it would have been able to follow the link and see the photo.

My reading of events is therefore that Schweitzer must have actually copied the picture, uploading it elsewhere so she could post a link for all the world to see - which, to my mind, is absolutely a matter of etiquette and decency. As well as one of copyright.

[Anonymous Cowardess]

I agree with you. Schweitzer is not entirely blameless if she coped the picture. OTOH Facebook could provide a setting that things can be only seen by your friends, not the friends of your friends etc. On the third hand though, and what everybody should have learned by now: If you don't want it to spead, don't post it.

[Peter Simpson 1]

Hoist

with their own petard, the Zuckerbergs are...

[Adze]

Re: Hoist; You are Yoda...

...and I claim my £5!

[Field Marshal Von Krakenfart]

"It's not about privacy settings, it's about human decency."

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

[Fred Flintstone]

Other than that it should be all in caps I agree with you 100%..

[Ketlan]

Good opportunity missed

'Rather than complaining about Facebook's privacy settings, the sister of the tech titan decided to rebuke the blameless Schweitzer'

Oh, to have been Schweitzer and to have been in the wonderful and justified position to tell at least one of the Zuckerbergs to fuck off. Bliss.

And no, I don't do Facebook.

[Bill Stewart]

Limiting Facebook risks

I don't use Facebook very often, but when I do, it's only on a virtual machine, with a dedicated copy of the browser, and I don't use that VM for anything else. And all that game stuff is turned off.

I started doing that when the LA Times in my main browser session started showing me "see what news articles your Facebook friends are reading today!"

[nuked]

Re: Limiting Facebook risks

So, you have a VM dedicated to Facebook?

[404]

This article...

.. is of the type where expeditious and dramatic use of english language slang would be appropriate. However, due to the sensitivities of the average humble El Reg commentard, this cannot be. So in the spirit of the El Reg community, I shall leave you with this wish for Zuckerberg&Pals

May the Bird of Paradise Fly up your nose,

may an elephant caress you with his toes....

<you may continue>

;)

[Vic]

Re: This article...

> May the Bird of Paradise Fly up your nose

<SidJames> And up yours </SidJames>

Vic.

[Anonymous Coward]

Instead Of Complaining About Facebook

Why not get out and meet some real friends rather pretending to have some.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Instead Of Complaining About Facebook

It was probably called "friends" because "acquaintances" was just too long a word for the original FB target audience..

[Bernard M. Orwell]

Re: Instead Of Complaining About Facebook

This from someone spending time browsing forums and replying to comments...

[Anonymous Coward]

What I find odd

If I post about webcams and covering or drilling them out with a very fine bit, I get a ton of downvotes on theregister, same thing on reddit and a ton of upvotes.

Someting about the clientele or age group?

[Fibbles]

Re: What I find odd

Seems a bit OTT when you could just as easily disable the webcam driver...

[Darryl]

Re: What I find odd

Or if you're REALLY paranoid, a small square of black electrical tape over the cam guarantees it's not going to see anything, and you don't even have to destroy anything.

[VinceH]

Re: What I find odd

All mine would film is the gap between the left and right touchpad buttons, so there's no real need to do anything paranoid here.

[Anonymous Coward]

javascript

spawn of satan

[Trustme]

Duh.

"I posted a picture of myself on the internet and it got reposted by a friend of a friend!"

Really? The sister of the owner (was going to say "creator" but there's ambiguity about that) of Facebook is REALLY that shocked by this? Take it the brains doesn't run through the whole family then...

[Tree]

Cure for the problem

When you get a computer always cover the camera lens with black tape. There are all kinds of things (flash?) that can take over your camera. If you do need to send a picture, remove the tape, but replace it immediately afterward. Also do not use facebutt.