Unrecognized Skype Microphone Usage - Normal?

Hello folks,

Quick question, likely nothing. I was updating my Bitdefender settings and noticed that Skype accessed my microphone 5 days ago. I haven't used Skype in about 6-7 weeks. I have seen online that this can occur sometimes randomly, but still, I prefer to ask whether this should be cause for concern. Is there a way for me to check a log of Skype microphone access, either through Bitdefender or Skype itself? Does anyone know whether such access is normal, or if not normal a glitch of sorts?

Thank you dearly,

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Alexandru_BD

Hello @AAS,

I think there are a couple of ways to check the circumstances around this microphone access event you've mentioned. First, open Bitdefender and navigate to the section that shows the microphone access log. There you can review the logs for any unusual activity or patterns of access. Using Skype, go to Settings > Privacy.

Check the permissions for microphone access. Ensure that Skype is only allowed to access the microphone when necessary. Review the list of connected devices and remove any that you do not recognize.

You can also check the Windows Privacy Settings. Go to Settings > Privacy > Microphone.

Here, you can see which applications have access to your microphone and when they last accessed it. You can turn off microphone access for Skype if you do not plan to use it frequently.
As far as I know, Skype does not provide detailed logs of microphone access within the application itself. However, you can monitor when the application starts and stops, which might help correlate with microphone access times.

Like you've probably noticed during online research, some applications may trigger microphone access during background updates or for maintenance tasks. However, this should not happen frequently. If you find that the access time does not correspond with any legitimate activity, it could be a glitch. Ensure the app and operating system are up-to-date. For peace of mind, run a system scan with Bitdefender to make sure everything is ok.

That's about all I can think of right now. Hope this helps.

Regards,

Alex