According to a UK report a cybercriminal who used malicious computer software to spy on people through their webcams has been added to the sex offenders register for seven years and has been given a 40 week suspended sentence.

Stefan Rigo, 33 hacked the computers of unsuspecting victims and watched them having sex through their webcams. He was arrested on November 2014 as part of an international operation targeting users of software designed to remotely take over, control and steal information from computers.

Rigo used his ex-girlfriend’s details to pay for and download the Blackshades malware, a tool which gives the user complete control over target computers, wherever they are in the world. The software can turn victims’ webcams on and off, access banking or other personal information, download new and potentially illegal content, and instruct the victim’s computer to help commit acts of criminality such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.

When the National Crime Agency (NCA) examined Rigo’s computer equipment they found a series of images that involved people engaged in sexual acts over Skype or in front of their computers.

In September 2015, Rigo attended Leeds Magistrates Court and was found guilty of voyeurism offences.  He was sentenced to a 40 week suspended sentence, seven years on the sex offenders register, 200 hours of unpaid work and the forfeiture of all his computer equipment.

Comment

A useful tip is to cover your webcam on your notebook with a piece of tape when not in use. The second tip of course, is not to do anything in front of your webcam which you do not wish others to see.