Do Not Carelessly Grant Application The Microphone Or Camera Access

Illustration (Photo by Franck on Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Along with the development of communication applications, many services often ask for permission to access the microphone or camera on a cellphone. Unfortunately not all social media applications or services are safe.

Kaspersky's Consumer IT Security Risk Study globally states that nearly a quarter or 23 percent of online users always give applications and services permission to access their microphone or webcam. This means that more than 15 thousand people gave permission for third-party applications to access their cellphones without being noticed.

"What we are observing right now is a negative trend of increasing awareness around online security and potential threats. This can be seen in more proactive consumer behavior such as taking precautions and checking permissions before granting video and microphone access," said Kaspersky Head of Consumer Product Marketing, Maria Titova, Monday, March 29.

Titova explained, since the coronavirus pandemic in various countries, many people have accessed video conference services and applications. But without realizing it, giving permission for applications to access microphones, webcam cameras or documents is an entry point for hackers to steal important user information.

"We hope that the increase in cybersecurity awareness will be supported by basic security training organized by businesses for their employees - especially as audio and video devices are now widely used for remote work," he explained.

The best way to balance vigilance while taking advantage of modern means of communication is to take careful consideration of the applications and services used and to carefully read any permissions that are requested.

Kaspersky provides advice on protecting privacy and security when using a webcam. The easiest way to do this is by closing or turning off the webcam after not being used.

Also use software to protect PC, Mac, Android, and iOS devices. This is done so that there is no illegal access to features such as microphones and cameras.

Finally, review which apps frequently ask for permission to access the camera and microphone. If it is not relevant to the use of the application or service used, it is better to delete it.