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VIRTUS® Online Webcams and Other Real-time Online Dangers (Featured May 23, 2005) Robert Hugh Farley, M.S. Consultant to this Program A webcam is a video camera that is connected to a user’s computer and is most often positioned on top of the user’s computer monitor. When activated in conjunction with an online service the webcam will permit the user to transmit video images of himself or herself to others in real time. Unfortunately, the webcam is the single most dangerous peripheral device that can be attached to a child’s or young person’s computer. Hardware and software Today, webcams are very inexpensive. For as little as $25 one can purchase a webcam that is able to send a clean “live” video image where it is quite easy to pick out even the smallest details. More expensive webcams can zoom in and out and have additional options, such as contrast and brightness, to further enhance the quality of the video image.

Other webcams have a built-in microphone for real time audio chatting or a “face tracking” feature wherein the webcam will make adjustments automatically. In order to utilize a webcam to chat or exchange video messages with others, the appropriate software must be installed on the computer. In some cases, law enforcement has found that a parent or a teacher will not even be aware that a young person has installed webcam software on a family computer or a school computer. To determine if webcam software is installed, a parent or teacher can inspect a computer by looking at the computer desktop for an icon from the software identified below or by going to the Start button and looking in the “Programs” area of the menu or the “Add/Remove Programs” area of the Control Panel. The webcam itself, which has a USB connection, can be easily disconnected and hidden by a young person when not in use. Some of the most popular webcam software includes: CUSeeMe is one of the first pieces of PC (personal computer) videoconferencing software that was written.

It was developed by Cornell University and it's still popular today among some users. With this software, one can videoconference with up to a dozen people at once, or one can video chat one-on-one. Windows Messenger is software that comes as a part of the Windows XP operating system or as a free Windows download. Microsoft Netmeeting is an earlier Microsoft product with essentially the same functionality as Messenger.

With Messenger (and Netmeeting), it is easy to videoconference, collaborate on work with its whiteboard feature, transfer files, and chat via either video or audio. ICQ (all versions, including ICQ2GO) is a videoconferencing shareware program with various helpful features. It has a buddy list for quick connections, a quick message function that lets a person immediately send audio, text, or video images to another person, and the ability to use ICQ to videoconference with others.

Instant messaging software such as Yahoo! Messenger 6.0 (and previous versions) can be used for a video chat in which a person can send another person video images—in real time—along with typewritten conversation. If the computer’s microphone is enabled, users can talk with one another in real time.

This is probably the most user-friendly webcam software and it is free. Once installed, the software allows easy access to hundreds of chat rooms or groups such as: “Yahoo webcam girls”, “Yahoo webcam school chat” and “Yahoo webcam dating.” Dangers It is important to realize that one need not have a webcam attached to the computer to view someone in real time.

Similarly a microphone is not needed to hear someone’s audio in real time. A webcam or microphone is only necessary for broadcasting one’s own image or audio to others. To view someone’s personal online webcam, one needs only to go to any of the hundreds of webcam sites connected with the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) that I described in a previous article or to the various Yahoo!

In addition, the commercial web sites or each have a large searchable directory listing hundreds of live video webcams. These webcam site locations extend from Chicago to Tulsa, from Seattle to Miami, and to thousands of other locations around the world. My law enforcement experience tells me that online video and digital images are very important to the preferential child molester. Child victimization involving webcams is on the rise.

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For example, a molester will go into a chat room with a name such as “webcam teen meet.” The child molester will assume the identity of an 18- to 19-year-old boy when looking to meet a vulnerable teenage girl. To do this, the molester will begin each chat by asking” A/S/L” (Age, Sex, and Location). When someone responds with “F/13/at a nearby location, he will focus his attention on this target.

During the chat conversation the molester will sound very concerned, understanding, and in some cases will offer the girl compassionate advice on a variety of issues. If a girl tells him that she is concerned that she is overweight, doesn’t feel pretty, or that she has skin problems, the molester will encourage her to turn on her webcam camera so that he can see her. Once the camera is turned on, the molester will tell the girl that she is beautiful, and the seduction or the grooming of the teen will begin. Because the girl is talking with a “friend” and feels secure because she is safe inside her home, she feels no threat in using her webcam and will leave the webcam on during the rest of the chat. Unfortunately, the girl does not realize that the molester can be running software that will allow him to capture her entire “video chat.” The molester can later burn her entire “video chat” to a CD and then trade her “video chat” with others, or even post it on the Internet. After several chats the molester will finally admit to the girl that he is a little older than 19. Even though he has lied, the victim will nearly always accept the discrepancy—the result of the molester’s grooming of the victim—because she knows that he has become a close “friend.” The molester will then turn on his own webcam in order to let the victim see what he looks like in real time.

In future chats, the molester will turn on his webcam and the victim will see him naked or in various stages of undress during the chats. Because she feels that she has done something wrong, in many cases, a victim will fail to tell a parent or other trusted adult about her discomfort from observing a naked man. In fact, our law enforcement unit found that the main reason that most teens will not tell an adult about observing a naked man or woman is because they are afraid that they will lose their computer privileges. A dangerous webcam-specific virus With some operating systems, a molester can recognize that a child or young person has a webcam attached to the computer and the molester is able to remotely activate the young person’s webcam. W32/Rbot-GR is a prolific worm or virus that is capable of using a webcam or a microphone to spy on users.

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The worm spreads by exploiting a number of Microsoft security vulnerabilities to drop a “backdoor” or “Trojan horse” program on a vulnerable computer. Once the backdoor program has been installed on a victim's computer, a molester can do whatever he wants with the victim’s webcam features. The Rbot-GR worm comes with a functionality that is specifically designed to control a victim’s webcam and/or microphone and then to relay the video images or conversation back to a specific site or to the molester. In addition to collecting web cam shots and footage, the worm also allows the molester or a hacker to examine any files on the infected machine's hard drive, to steal passwords, and even to launch a denial-of-service attack.

If a computer is infected and there is a webcam plugged in to that computer, when the computer connects to the Internet, everything that is done in front of that computer can be seen, heard, and recorded. The user may think that they are speaking privately with a close friend when, in fact, others are watching and listening. Those who are infected with the Rbot-GR virus are frequently unaware that a remote molester can track their every move. An infected webcam may show a red light or 'active light' when it's being used, but webcams without such a light will provide no warning that a molester is watching. Apple or Mac based users are safe from this worm as Rbot-GR is a hazard only in the Microsoft Windows environment. There is, however, a very simple way to prevent the prying eyes and ears of the molester—simply unplug or turn off the webcam and microphone when it is not in use. Conclusion Webcams can be the source of convenience and amusement for viewing friends from other schools or relatives who live out of state.

Unfortunately webcams can also be extremely dangerous. Prior to a connecting a webcam or a microphone to a computer, specific rules should be established to help protect the safety of everyone involved.