A 47-year-old man from Cyprus will spend four years behind bars for spying on a teenager on her webcam and threatening her. The man, whose name was not disclosed, was arrested back in 2005 for infecting the computer of a 17-year-old, at the time, with a Trojan horse, which was attached to an email the man had sent to her. After downloading the malicious software, her computer got infected and images taken by her webcam, which was remotely controlled, were at the disposal of the attacker.

 

For several months, the man saved discreditable pictures taken without the girl's consent and then threatened to send them to all her friends if she didn't pose naked in front of the webcam. The girl refused and went to local police, who further investigated the cyber-crime. Finally, three years after his arrest, the man was convicted to four years behind bars.

 

“Most spyware is designed to steal your identity, your passwords, your banking information - but it is just as easy to program a Trojan horse to take over your webcam,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. “This case highlights that as well as malware being used for financial gain, it can also be used by voyeurs. Everyone needs to treat computer security as paramount importance to ensure they do not fall victim to an Internet blackmailer or peeping tom.”

 

The security expert also warned that the problem doesn't resume to home users. “These attacks are not just a problem for youngsters,” continued Cluley. “Home and remote workers use computers often equipped with webcams and may have lax protection in place. The dangers of people using a 'work' computer for non-approved use such as instant messaging chat are well documented. Companies should deploy application control technology to set a strict policy as to which programs, such as chat clients, can be used by their employees.”

 

If, in the case of the young girl, her reputation was the only thing at stake, in the case of a company, privileged communication can be intercepted, which can lead to insolvency.