<s>
A	O
softcam	B-Algorithm
is	O
essentially	O
a	O
software-based	O
camera	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Softcams	B-Algorithm
are	O
computer	B-Application
software	I-Application
(	O
that	O
technically	O
do	O
not	O
replace	O
webcams	B-Protocol
)	O
that	O
allows	O
one	O
to	O
stream	O
or	O
broadcast	B-Operating_System
image	O
,	O
video	O
,	O
and/or	O
audio	O
files	O
through	O
a	O
virtual	O
webcam	B-Protocol
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
allows	O
the	O
video	O
stream	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
in	O
place	O
of	O
a	O
normal	O
webcam	B-Protocol
stream	O
in	O
video	B-Application
conferencing	I-Application
applications	O
like	O
MSN	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
,	O
NetMeeting	B-Protocol
,	O
Skype	B-Application
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
or	O
any	O
other	O
programs	O
that	O
use	O
webcam	B-Protocol
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
softcam	B-Algorithm
software	O
such	O
as	O
Magic	B-Application
Camera	I-Application
and	O
ManyCam	B-Protocol
allows	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
apply	O
graphics	O
and	O
effects	O
to	O
the	O
video	O
as	O
well	O
,	O
making	O
the	B-Application
software	I-Application
more	O
analogous	O
to	O
a	O
video	O
switcher	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
effect	O
,	O
softcam	B-Algorithm
software	O
allows	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
project	O
media	O
files	O
as	O
though	O
it	O
were	O
live	O
over	O
a	O
webcam	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Video	O
from	O
normal	O
webcams	B-Protocol
can	O
also	O
be	O
passed	O
through	O
softcam	B-Algorithm
software	O
to	O
allow	O
the	O
same	O
graphics	O
and	O
effects	O
to	O
be	O
overlaid	O
onto	O
normal	O
webcam	B-Protocol
video	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
historical	O
origins	O
of	O
softcam	B-Algorithm
type	O
software	O
is	O
unclear	O
,	O
but	O
image	O
sensor	O
emulation	O
may	O
have	O
been	O
used	O
by	O
the	O
US	O
and	O
USSR	O
space	O
programs	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
camera	O
integration	O
on	O
spacecraft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
modern	O
era	O
,	O
physical	O
teleconferencing	O
systems	O
(	O
as	O
opposed	O
to	O
ones	O
dependent	O
on	O
a	O
personal	O
computer	O
)	O
may	O
have	O
been	O
tested	O
with	O
softcam	B-Algorithm
technology	O
in	O
the	O
late	O
1980s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
softcam	B-Algorithm
software	O
evolved	O
in	O
parallel	O
with	O
digital	O
camera	O
software	O
,	O
one	O
can	O
consider	O
softcam	B-Algorithm
history	O
and	O
webcam	B-Protocol
history	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
same	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Having	O
multiple	O
webcam	B-Protocol
emulators	O
installed	O
on	O
a	O
personal	O
computer	O
may	O
increase	O
the	O
risk	O
of	O
Camfecting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
field	O
of	O
computer	O
security	O
,	O
camfecting	O
is	O
the	O
process	O
of	O
attempting	O
to	O
hack	O
into	O
a	O
person	O
's	O
webcam	B-Protocol
and	O
activate	O
it	O
without	O
the	O
owner	O
's	O
permission	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Remotely	O
activated	O
webcams	B-Protocol
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
watch	O
anything	O
within	O
the	O
webcam	B-Protocol
's	O
field	O
of	O
vision	O
,	O
sometimes	O
including	O
the	O
webcam	B-Protocol
owner	O
themselves	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Camfecting	O
is	O
most	O
often	O
carried	O
out	O
by	O
infecting	O
the	O
victim	O
's	O
computer	O
with	O
a	O
virus	O
that	O
can	O
provide	O
the	O
hacker	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
webcam	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
attack	O
is	O
specifically	O
targeted	O
at	O
the	O
victim	O
's	O
webcam	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
hence	O
the	O
name	O
camfecting	O
,	O
a	O
portmanteau	O
of	O
the	O
words	O
cam	O
and	O
infecting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Typically	O
,	O
a	O
webcam	B-Protocol
hacker	O
or	O
a	O
camfecter	O
sends	O
his	O
victim	O
an	O
innocent-looking	O
application	O
which	O
has	O
a	O
Trojan	O
horse	O
software	O
through	O
which	O
the	O
camfecter	O
can	O
control	O
the	O
victim	O
's	O
webcam	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
installed	O
,	O
the	O
camfecter	O
can	O
turn	O
on	O
the	O
webcam	B-Protocol
and	O
capture	O
pictures/videos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
camfecter	O
software	O
works	O
just	O
like	O
the	O
original	O
webcam	B-Device
software	I-Device
present	O
in	O
the	O
computer	O
,	O
the	O
only	O
difference	O
being	O
that	O
the	O
camfecter	O
controls	O
the	B-Application
software	I-Application
instead	O
of	O
the	O
webcam	B-Protocol
owner	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Austin	O
&	O
Ally	O
"	O
Albums	O
&	O
Auditions	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
webcam	B-Protocol
emulator	O
is	O
used	O
to	O
fake	O
a	O
performing	O
arts	O
audition	O
,	O
with	O
many	O
glitches	O
–	O
but	O
is	O
successful	O
.	O
</s>
