10:13 AM
Unknown
If you're anxious you might have
some malware using your webcam to spy on you, has a list of steps you can
follow to find out which Windows program is the culprit.
To do this you'll need Process
Explorer, the awesome Windows Sysinternal tool developed by Mark Russinovich
for IT work. You can download the installer here if you like,
With Process Explorer running,
follow these steps:
1. Figure
out what your camera's object name is by finding it in Device Manager. For Windows
7: search "Device Manager" in the start menu. For Windows 8.1: search
the same thing in the Charms bar.
2. Once you locate it in the Device Manager,
double-click and go to the "Details" tab. Open
the property drop-down and select "Physical device object name", then
right-click to copy the name.
3. Return to the Process Explorer, or get it
started if you haven't yet. Then hit Ctrl+F and paste the camera's object name into the
search field and click "Search." You should see whatever processes
are currently using your webcam.
If the program using your webcam is
something you recognized, there's no need to worry (but you may need to quit it
if you don't want it running)! If you don't recognize the program, right-click
it in Process Explorer and select "Kill Process", then uninstall it
from your machine. After the program has been removed, run a full-system virus
scan to ensure your machine is safe to use again.
