Every Android smartphone comes with two cameras – one in the back and one in the front. This make Android smartphones a very lucrative target for the cyber-criminals and novice hackers. Using a multitude of ways including social engineering they may end up installing a RAT (remote access trojan) in your Android smartphone and then control it from their devices sitting thousands of miles away. A RAT is a special malware that turns the victim’s device into a zombie and the cyber-criminals having the control of infected device can do pretty much everything – even record you through the camera in the phone.
In fact, it has happened many times before. These cyber-criminals have successfully controlled the smartphones and notebook computers of young ladies/couples and recorded their private moments to later blackmail them. While there is a simple solution of putting a black tape on the camera for your notebook computer, the tape does not look good on the smartphone. For your Android smartphone, you can use the free Camera Blocker app to block camera access for all the apps installed in your phone.
Using the Camera Blocker app is very easy – just launch the app and tap on the lock icon and it is done – now no other app would have access to the camera. You can also pull down the notification panel and tap on the Camera Blocker icon for the same effect. Tap once again and it will unlock the camera.
In the settings for the app, you can notification messages – displaying notification whenever a new app is installed that is capable of accessing the camera and allowing to toggle the camera lock through the notification panel and so on. You can also view the list of apps that have permissions to access the camera and can upload the pictures on the internet.
You can get the Camera Blocker app from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.frenzycoders.camblockerantispyware&hl=en.