Ya a lot of people have heard this before, but a few of you haven’t – and you should.

Webcams are in almost every laptop these days. Many desktops come with a free one. I have 5 just sitting in my closet. Even most new smartphones have a front camera just for video calls. Logitech and a few other giants have done a great job of proliferating webcams across the globe. However, hackers are smart people – and as I always say: if they want in, they will get in.

Webcam peeping is actually some hackers’ favorite pastimes. It’s actually easier on a laptop than a smartphone with a front camera, in part because the smartphone protocols are so limited. The practice of breaking into laptops is a science hardened over the last couple of decades. Mac or PC – if a hacker wants to get into your computer, your files, or turn your webcam without you knowing – it’s in your best interest to take the cautious approach and assume they can.

Many people put a small piece of tape or a Sponge Bob band-aid over their webcam. Definitely solves that problem, but helping you protect your drive, files, pictures and various accounts around the web – that’s a bit out of the scope of this article.

The truth is that you have a lot more to worry about than just  your webcam. You really think hackers like watching people stare at an LCD screen? I’ve never heard of a “staring fetish” but then again, you learn something new every day. If your computer is totally unprotected, so are your files. You are at risk of getting important files stolen, embarrassing pictures stolen, viruses getting installed, or something just taking over your computer to mess with you. A hacker might even be able to wipe your whole hard drive into oblivion. Our best advice is use the best common sense you can muster up, and if you have a virus – don’t prolong fixing it – it won’t get better.

Once you get a virus, or if you are just having performance problems and haven’t re-installed your OS in 3 years, the best solution is to always save your files off of your primary disk, and re-install your operating system completely from scratch from the original disk. You can spend 5 hours trying to remove the virus, or 1-2 hours saving your files and then re-installing.

Tips for protecting your computer

1) Don’t download random things, go to random sites, click random ads, or fall for random scams

Use your head and common sense!

2) Stay familiar with how fast your computer operates. If your computer is dragging, it can be a sign of just about anything from a virus, to a

3) Re-install your Operating System every 12 months minimum from the ORIGINAL INSTALL DISC – Do not install from

4) Windows Users – Install Spybot Search & Destroy and follow the instructions on that page carefully