In the previous versions there was an option called Webcam and Mic Detection. What happened to the option? I am unable to find it in my GW Version 2.?
We tried hard to support webam/mic detection with 1.0, but Microsoft continually made changes with Windows that made accurate webcam/mic detection impossible.
We are not the only company who had this problem and this is why no software supports this feature anymore successfully. If things change with Windows in the future we will support this feature again.
Oh. Thanks for the reply.! Appreciate it. I really did like that feature.
But it does work for Bitdefender. Basically the feature in Bitdefender blocks access to Webcam. And it works too. So hopefully Glasswire can try too in the future updates.
Blocking it completely is different than detection. Weâll check that out and see if itâs possible with the technology we use. Thanks for letting us know about this option.
Yes, it is still the case with those OS versions unfortunately.
Hi Support!
After using Glass Free for a few months Iâve made a decision that it was stable enough to purchase. BUT before I did, I updated to version 2.0 and noticed features like webcam/mic detection were taken away (which are the keywords originally sourced me to Glasswire). Unfortunately, this is a deal breaker. However I would like to share some insights.
In a future Glasswire version, if there is a section in the settings tab sometimes seen in other software such as âExperimental Featuresâ which may or may not work, I think the webcam/mic option should be re-added.
That was your customers arenât completely losing a feature.
There are some software programs out there that use detection on a kernel level, usually in keystroke detection and webcam/mic detection in a bundle, Iâve noticed the detection also includes a hook.
When Glasswire once didnât detect the webbam, I used a driver re-direction (virtual drive or Mirror Drive) and restricted access from all processes from the real drive. In each instance, glasswire was able to successfully detect webam/mic. When an application attempted to request webcam or mic, the main real driver would be blocked and the mirror drive would pick it up. The mirror drive always had access to the main. It was essentially a virtual drive.
I have had a high success rate using this method, but now with the feature pulled, this is just impossible for me now.
Just an idea to throw out there that could be apart of a new setup installation option. Hopefully, that will put your team in the right direction to temporarily solve the webcam detection problems.
I first tested this with a third party app called ispyconnect virtual webcam driver, I set the driver as the default in windows registry, when an app requested access to the drive, Glasswire would detect it without incident regardless of how many times the dev over at MS changed their code or try to make difficulties.
Iâll be keeping an eye open for future updates, but sorry Iâm not ready to purchase right now.
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See this statement puzzles me. Because i have tested this with Win 7, 8, 8.1 & Win10 and Gâw never failed to detect any software i used inc Music seq, media players, video editors & games that connected with the mic port. Again i believe this function wasnât removed for the suggested reasons.
I was actually looking for the feature and was surprised to find it missing, and did what @dayton suggested and I can confirm that it works. I suppose there is something else that is missing.
@Ferdinand, colour me puzzled too! While I mostly use desktops (barring one laptop and one all-in-once PC), so webcam detection might not be too much of a hassle, but those that bought the software for use on laptops might feel shortchanged.
I am, by and large, happy with Glasswire (I have two elite licenses), but would more wholeheartedly recommend GW with the options in.
Iâm not even going to go deep into this as GâW are known for deleting comments and even user accounts from there forums. This happened to my brother.
Search Alphonso software, used by a lot of Goole store apps and found in many Apple store softwareâs and is now showing up in the Windows store apps/Games too. With Mic detection software like GâW V1 this exploits this behaviour. Alphonso is one of a few Softwareâs that do this and believe me this isnât used just for advertising. Iâm not for one second accusing GâW for being involved in this malicious behaviour but like I mentioned I find it funny that the mic detection module in V1 worked perfectly ok and was removed and we were given very poor reasons as to why. I could write an SA about the evidence we have collected regards to user data collection, but no one cares so I guess there isnât any point in sharing.
GâW spent a good few yrs. developing V1 (was a public beta for a least a yr.) and was a solid firewall extension to Win-FW yet V2 was rushed into service in such a poor state missing vital components. This puzzles me. And To add to this, I have observed with V1 a lot of windows software that would just switch on the Mic port whilst the system was idle with no user interaction but with V2 this is no longer an option. So, IMO there is plenty of other reasons to remove the mic/webcam module from V2.
Yea. I was using version 1 and the webcam/mic detection option was available only for paid version. I bought Glasswire correctly when the version 2 was released. And I upgraded my software to v2 to find out that it isnât available. 
But yea i guess we got to wait and see whether we get the feature again.
I often wonder why Bitdefender (and some others) only offer cam blocking, an irresolute privacy strategy when no mic blocking is offered as well. For those USB web cams with the built-in mic, is that mic blocked too? I donât think so but could stand to be corrected.
A cam will only capture what is in front of it and everything else is âoff cameraâ even with wide angle (90-120°) models.
But everything within âear shotâ is available to a mic. I tested my laptop and it was able to pick up most of the normal conversation around a corner in the next room, 20 feet away. 30-40 feet away some conversation could be made out. The cam? A wallâŚ
Thatâs why I get a kick out of the folks taping over just their laptop lenses. This is my strategy except I use a bit of sticky-note. Sticks really well and leaves no residue. I just tear off a corner and slap it on. That little jagged torn yellow piece is ugly but it shows I mean business when it comes to my privacy! BTW, taping over the mic hole tends to merely muffle the audio (better than nothing, tho), the degree depending on the tape, i.e. cellophane vs duct and you run the risk over time of goo migrating into the hole.
For the mic I use a â3.5mm stereo plugâ (google that), the kind you would use if youâre soldering up your own gear. Plug it in the mic jack and that physically disconnects the built-in mic (in the same way the speakers get disconnected on a portable radio or audio gear when you plug in an earpiece or headphone). I keep it plugged in even when the laptop is âoff.â
For my desktop tower, my USB webcam/mic is kept unplugged until I need it.
Anyhow, if the GW Team can figure out cam and mic blocking, that would be nice.
Cheers.
No two computers are exactly the same and I would say its safe to assume on that logic that no two windows OS are the same either. (basing that on different drivers installed, different software, add-on features, and registry entries)
I have a wireless and built-in mic/headphone/speaker. Webcam, I have two connected, one is built in and the other was usb. I did have detection issues while using GW and was resolved when I disabled one drive for the other. If I wanted both cams to be detected I would use a mirror drive or disable the primary and use the mirror for the secondary.
Though Microphone listening on phones is more popular than on computers or laptops, fingerprinting is done on the CPU side and not on the server side, so no audio gets transmitted so they say. I doubt GW would be doing this. I have a sophisticated network, 2 unix boxes and a few layer firewalls, one that always has a log of wireshark packetsniffing. I painstakingly went through all the logs after seeing your post and found nothing unordinary. I didnât find any audio being transmitted over any of the apps that were running and there wasnât really any encrypted streams originating from GW. Logically, it would make sense from a strategic standpoint to be spying on your customerâs mics. You would need a crap load of server space and bandwidth and who the heck is going to sit there and listen to your cat meow all night. This doesnât mean youâre wrong that GW was kind of shady for not disclosing the removal of a feature but it also doesnât mean they are directly listening to your audio either. Itâs easy to speculate that they are being unethical but as it stands previous evidence from other soft developers doesnât mean GW is guilty.
We have to stop and think here, even if there were companies out there listening to our every word or listening to us boning in the bedroom, who cares? like who are they going to pay to sit there and be miserable having to listen to your shit? If youâre paranoid all the time you will drive yourself up the wall and people will think that youâre a fry.
I donât think GW pulled the features because they were about to get caught or didnât want customers to find out. GW would use a code that would simply âseeâ which hooks are using the mic. If anything, I would be suspicious as to why windows or Microsoft would want to stop soft devs from this?
You really should follow someones comments clearly before replying. I suggested that GâW were pressured into removing this feature and never claimed there were going to be caught for anything. I said my bit subject over for me.
No one. âTheyâ have these things called computers that listen for target keywords or audio and when detected one or more of the âtheyâ will determine value based on âtheirâ mission. Duh. (Granted, âtheyâ will probably do that while sitting.)
Perverts. Duh.
Same here & topic Muted. Cheers.