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[return to "Malware can turn off webcam LED and record video, demonstrated on ThinkPad X230"]
1. sbarre+T1[view] [source] 2024-11-27 20:27:36
>>xairy+(OP)
I thought the whole point of these camera LEDs was to have them wired to/through the power to the camera, so they are always on when the camera is getting power, no matter what.

Having the LED control exposed through the firmware completely defeats this.

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2. perchi+e5[view] [source] 2024-11-27 20:47:53
>>sbarre+T1
For what it's worth, you could just power on the camera, take a pic, then turn it back off instead. Provided you can do this fast enough, an indicator LED is rendered worthless. So you'd need to make the indicator LED staggered, to stay lit for a minimum amount of time.

There's also the scenario where the LED or the connections to it simply fail. If the circuit doesn't account for that, then boom, now your camera can function without the light being on.

Can't think of any other pitfalls, but I'm sure they exist. Personally, I'll just continue using the privacy shutter, as annoying as that is. Too bad it doesn't do anything about the mic input.

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3. TZubir+B5[view] [source] 2024-11-27 20:50:24
>>perchi+e5
A minimum light duration seems pretty trivial to physically engineer.

For one the energy to take a picture is probably enough to power a light for a noticeable amount of time.

And if it isn't, a capacitor that absorbs energy and only allows energy through once it's full would allow the light to remain on for a couple of seconds after power subsides.

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4. perchi+77[view] [source] 2024-11-27 20:59:47
>>TZubir+B5
Wasn't arguing that it's difficult, just that it's needed (and that I'm not expecting it to be done in practice. Because the indicator LED on my laptop doesn't do it either, despite being enterprise grade).
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5. homebr+k8[view] [source] 2024-11-27 21:08:07
>>perchi+77
JIRA is "enterprise grade", I wouldn't place too much faith into that term.
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6. perchi+E8[view] [source] 2024-11-27 21:11:15
>>homebr+k8
Trust me, I was using it semi-sarcastically too. This thing is slower than my old Pentium 4 would be, yet has a fast enough 30% to 3% battery discharge rate that it would make the speed of light itself blush.
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7. xxs+DH[view] [source] 2024-11-28 02:52:34
>>perchi+E8
The main culprit is that anyone estimating battery life in percentages. It's about voltage and current draw. The battery voltage can be read directly.

About being slow, I suppose it does run windows and its infamous 'defender'

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8. jmb99+4O[view] [source] 2024-11-28 04:12:55
>>xxs+DH
> The main culprit is that anyone estimating battery life in percentages.

I thought this was a solved problem, like, decades ago? At least I remember even the first gen MacBooks having accurate battery percentages, and it’s a more vague memory but my PowerBook G4 did too I think.

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9. xxs+T61[view] [source] 2024-11-28 08:21:47
>>jmb99+4O
The "accurate" charging level mostly happens with specific amount of charge cycles (i.e. new). Laptop batteries suffer from higher temperature (over 60C), overcharging (over 4.22 per Li-Ion for most chemistries).
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