Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Yahoo Webcam Security Problem

By

Yahoo Webcam Security ProblemDo you use Yahoo Messenger? Have a webcam that you switch on for others to see you? Then you’d better be careful for a while. Chinese researchersreported that they’d found a zero day vulnerability in the service’s webcam, which McAfee reproduced yesterday. It affects users on MessengerV8.1.0.413.   According to McAfee, the vulnerability can be triggered when a user accepts a webcam invitation. This can leave the user open to remote-code execution attacks. However, the companysaid it had yet to see any exploitation code published for the vulnerability. McAfee has informed Yahoo of the problem.   “Since learning of this issue, we have been actively workingtowards a resolution and expect to have a fix shortly,” a Yahoo spokesman informed InformationWeek in an e-mail. “Yahoo takes securityseriously and consistently employs measures to help protect our users.”   This follows on from a report by eEye Digital Security which found multiple flaws in Version 8 of Yahoo Messengerwhich could allow a remote hacker to take control of a user’s system.   Yahoo also experienced a problem in June, a buffer-overflow flaw in an Active X control, which was patched.  For now, Yahoo is advising Messenger users not to accept webcam invitations from untrusted sources until a patch has been released and installed on the computer, and to block outgoing traffic on TCPport 5100.

Editors’ Recommendations

Digital Trends Staff
Digital Trends Staff
Digital Trends has a simple mission: to help readers easily understand how tech affects the way they live. We are your…
The most common Microsoft Teams problems, and how to fix them
A close-up of someone using Microsoft Teams on a laptop for a videoconference.

Microsoft Teams was introduced in 2017 as a unified communication and collaboration platform aimed at helping businesses and organizations get things done. Microsoft leveraged the company's existing Office software experience and created a unified experience between Teams, Office 365, and Skype for Business. However, as with all software, things don't always go according to plan. Sometimes you can run into Teams problems.

We're big Teams users here at DigitalTrends -- it's our go-to meeting tool -- and we've come across a few issues ourselves over the years. If you're having Microsoft Teams issues, here's how to fix some of the most common problems.

Read more
Common Windows 11 problems and how to fix them
Person using Windows 11 laptop on their lap by the window.

Windows 11 might be Microsoft's best operating system yet, but that doesn't mean it's free of problems. There are still bugs to iron out, as well as issues that crop up from everyday use that anyone can experience. We've certainly faced our fair share of them while reviewing the latest laptops since Windows 11 launched a couple of years ago.

Have you experienced a problem with Windows 11? You're not alone. Here are some of the most common issues with Windows 11 and how to fix them.
No sound in Windows 11

Read more
Why is my printer offline? How to solve the most common printer problems
Ccleaner

When you need to print a label to prepare a shipment or output some documents for an important meeting, finding that your normally reliable printer is offline can be incredibly frustrating. Often you print something because it needs to be shipped or taken somewhere. When trouble arises, you're delayed and need a quick solution.

Even the best printers can run into trouble occasionally. Let's look at some common printer problems and how you can get it back online again.
The universal solution

Read more