Showing posts with label cell phone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cell phone. Show all posts

Saturday, December 16, 2023

Harry Hacking: Payout in Phone-Hacking Case Against Mirror Publisher

Prince Harry has won 15 claims in his case accusing Mirror Group Newspapers
of unlawfully gathering information for stories published about him. A judge has ruled in his favour on almost half of the sample of 33 stories used in his claims of phone hacking and other methods.

High Court ruling found evidence of "widespread and habitual" use of phone hacking at the Mirror newspapers... He was awarded £140,600 in damages... more

Thursday, December 14, 2023

Fake Cell Towers Spy On Phones

The risks associated with fake cell towers are manifold.
Firstly, there is the threat of unauthorized access to sensitive personal information. This includes passwords, credit card details, and other private data that can be used for identity theft or financial fraud. Furthermore, fake towers can also listen in on phone calls and gather valuable business intelligence, posing a significant risk to corporate espionage...

The fake tower can intercept this IMSI number and collect other data, such as the mobile device’s location, call records, text messages, and even the content of phone calls. This information can then be used for various purposes, including surveillance, identity theft, and corporate espionage. more

Thursday, July 20, 2023

Privacy Risks: Phones Purchased at Police Auctions

Law enforcement agencies nationwide regularly sell items that are seized in criminal investigations or are unclaimed from lost-and-found inventories. 

Many of these items—vehicles, jewelry, watches and electronic devices like cellphones—end up at online auction houses.

People looking for a bargain can bid on cellphones in bulk, snatching up dozens at rock bottom prices for parts or other uses. This ultimately provides revenue for the police agencies, making for a good deal for everyone involved. Or is it?

A recent study by University of Maryland security experts found that many of the phones sold at police property auction houses are not properly wiped of personal data. The study, conducted over two years with cellphones bought from the largest police auction house in the U.S., uncovered troves of personal information from previous owners that was easily accessible. more

Saturday, June 24, 2023

Spybuster Tip #712 - Stop Smartphone Eavesdropping - Cap The App

Remember to check from time to time which apps have access to the microphone.


Here’s how to do it on iPhone:
  • Open the Settings app 
  • Scroll to Privacy & Security 
  • Tap Microphone 
  • Review the apps that have access to your microphone and toggle them on or off 
Here’s how to do it on an Android handset:
  • Open the Settings app 
  • Tap Privacy 
  • Tap Permission Manager 
  • Tap on Microphone 
  • Review the apps that have access to your microphone and toggle them on or off | more
Why is this important and timely?
A hacking group linked to the North Korean government has been caught using new wiretapping malware in recent surveillance attacks, according to an advisory from cybersecurity firm AhnLab. more

Monday, June 12, 2023

Eavesdropping: Advanced Aliens Could Detect life on Earth...

Only aliens with more advanced technology would be able to ‘eavesdrop’ on the signals transmitted on Earth – but apparently that’s more likely than you’d think.

While we work hard to search for extra-terrestrial life beyond our planet, radiation leaked from Earth’s mobile towers could be helping aliens find us. Put your tinfoil hat away: this isn’t anything to do with 5G. And the radiation being leaked isn’t the cancer-causing kind – it's the same type of energy used in radio and TV signals.

New research shows that this radio leakage from mobile towers is not currently strong enough on its own to be detectable by alien civilisations – assuming they are using the same technology as we are to find them. But if aliens have more advanced systems and are looking at radiation from more sources – such as Wi-Fi networks – we could soon be discovered by extra-terrestrials living on nearby stars. more

Thursday, March 30, 2023

Prosecutors: Veteran Deputy was Listening in on Jury Deliberations

NY - An Ontario County Sheriff’s Office veteran, Adam Broadwell, pleaded not guilty on Monday to felony charges of eavesdropping, possession of an eavesdropping device, and official misconduct. 

Broadwell is accused of listening in on a jury deliberation by using a device specifically designed for eavesdropping.

According to Assistant District Attorney Kelly Wolford, the jury was deliberating a felony case when Broadwell listened in on the conversation. The eavesdropping charges brought against Broadwell relate to his use of a device to enhance the sound of people talking in his area. 

However, Broadwell’s defense attorney, Clark Zimmermann, argued that the device used was a Bluetooth earbud set linked to an Android phone, which does not match the definition of an eavesdropping device. more

Our previous reports on Bluetooth earbud eavesdropping.

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Cautionary Tale: Secreted Cell Phones

UK - Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker has laughed off the moment sex noises transmitted by a YouTube prankster disrupted the show's live coverage.

Noises from a porn clip were heard as Lineker presented pre-match build-up before the Wolves v Liverpool fixture.

A frenzied studio hunt uncovered a planted mobile phone
- and YouTube prankster Daniel Jarvis claimed he was behind the stunt on Tuesday's show. The BBC apologised to any viewers who were offended.

But Lineker, who later tweeted a picture of the mobile phone he said was "taped to the back of the set", said he thought there was nothing to apologise for. Calling it a "good prank", he said: "As sabotage goes it was quite amusing." more

In another environment a hidden cell phone could well have been used as an eavesdropping bug. 

We're not talking expensive iPhones here. Cheap, mini-sized phones can do the job too. Short-term, quick-drop, and expendable. Another good reason to conduct Technical Surveillance Countermeasures inspections in corporate offices and conference rooms.

Friday, December 30, 2022

EarSpy Attack Can Use Motion Sensors Data to Pry on Android Devices

As smartphone manufacturers are improving the ear speakers in their devices, it can become easier for malicious actors to leverage a particular side-channel for eavesdropping on a targeted user’s conversations, according to a team of researchers from several universities in the United States.

The attack method, named EarSpy, is described in a paper published just before Christmas by researchers from Texas A&M University, Temple University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rutgers University, and the University of Dayton.

EarSpy relies on the phone’s ear speaker — the speaker at the top of the device that is used when the phone is held to the ear — and the device’s built-in accelerometer for capturing the tiny vibrations generated by the speaker. more

Thursday, August 18, 2022

Spybuster Tip #823 - The Car Thief Cell Phone Trick

Another reason not to leave personal belongings inside your vehicle. Memphis police say car thieves are using their cell phone cameras to look through tinted windows.


During a crime forum in the Cooper-Young neighborhood, Crump station officers said it was a new tool being used by the bad guys looking for items to steal.

They told the group it doesn’t matter how dark the tint is on your windows; when you put a cell phone in camera mode up to the windows, you can see right through them.

We (WREG-TV) put a cell up to a back window; sure enough, you could see everything in the backseat. more

Extra Credit: The reverse of this technique is how spy cameras, hidden behind black plastic, can see you when you can't see them. Learn more.

Thursday, December 2, 2021

A New "Mobile" Phone - Complete with No Apps

Ever wish you had a mobile phone that would really turn heads?
One where you could call your friends, real or imaginary?
One that would look at you with loving eyes? 

Your past is now your future...  



Tuesday, November 23, 2021

3G Cell Phone Service - The End is Near


All of the major cellphone carriers — AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile — are planning to shut their older 3G networks in 2022. Like millions of people in the United States who use 3G phones and other 3G devices, you will have to buy a new device if you want to text, make calls or even reach 911...

The shutdown dates start in January 2022 and are spread out throughout the year. more

  • Sprint’s 3G: Jan. 1, 2022
  • AT&T’s 3G: Feb. 22, 2022
  • Sprint’s LTE: June 30, 2022
  • Verizon’s 3G: Dec. 31, 2022
  • T-Mobile’s 2G and 3G: Not yet announced
 Also a bummer for all those folks that are using 2G & 3G cellular bugging devices.

Thursday, July 15, 2021

The "Encrypted" Cell Phones Had One Flaw: The FBI Controlled Them

The criminals texted each other about drug deals and money laundering, confident in special encrypted devices using a platform dubbed Anom. There was just one problem for the crime rings: The FBI was being copied on every message — millions of them worldwide. In fact, the agency had sent the Anom devices into the black market in the first place.

Those are the details and allegations that are now emerging about Operation Trojan Shield, an international effort coordinated by the FBI that has resulted in more than 800 arrests.

With the help of Europol, the FBI identified "over 300 distinct TCOs [transnational criminal organizations] using Anom, including Italian organized crime, Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, and various international narcotics source, transportation, and distribution cells," according to a search warrant affidavit filed in court by Nicholas Cheviron*, an FBI special agent in San Diego. The document was unsealed Monday.

In addition to heading the investigation, FBI Special Agent, Nic Cheviron (son of the best corporate security director ever), wrote the search warrant. It is a fascinating read.

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Privoro Launches Audio Masking Chamber & RF Shield for Mobile Devices

(Press release) 
Privoro
, today revealed its latest product, Vault, a first-of-its-kind defense against remote data capture. The Vault case is a two-in-one portable Faraday enclosure and audio masking chamber for smartphones, providing unsurpassed protection against not only wireless attacks and location tracking but also eavesdropping and spying.


Vault eliminates smartphone signals more effectively than portable, fabric-based Faraday products, delivering a minimum of 100 dB of radio frequency (RF) attenuation – 10 billion times signal reduction. When a smartphone is placed in the Vault case, the smartphone can no longer be reached via cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth, near-field communication (NFC) and radio-frequency identification (RFID).

In addition to RF shielding, Vault's user-controlled audio masking prevents the extraction of intelligible speech up to voice levels of 90 dBA through independent noise signals. Users will have the assurance that conversations in the vicinity of Vault cannot be deliberately captured by bad actors through the enclosed smartphone's cameras and microphones.

Privoro developed Vault to meet the requirements of nation-state customers seeking to tackle the long-standing unique and critical security risks that mobile devices pose. more

 

Thursday, August 20, 2020

Hackers Can Now Clone Your Keys Just by Listening to Them (wtf?!?!)

Every time you unlock your front door, your key whispers a small, but audible, secret. Hackers finally learned how to listen. 

Researchers at the National University of Singapore published a paper earlier this year detailing how, using only a smartphone microphone and a program they designed, a hacker can clone your key. 

What's more, if a thief was able to install malware on your smartphone, smartwatch, or smart doorbell to record the audio from afar, they wouldn't even need to be physically nearby to pull off the attack. 

The key (ahem) to the attack, dubbed SpiKey, is the sound made by the lock pins as they move over a typical key's ridges. more

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Verizon Launches Hyper-Precise GPS Location Technology

Verizon launched its Hyper Precise Location using Real Time Kinematics (RTK), a location technology that provides location accuracy within 1-2 centimeters, on the Verizon network. 

Verizon has built and deployed RTK reference stations nationwide to provide pinpoint level accuracy to RTK compatible internet of things (IoT) devices. RTK will also support emerging technologies that depend on high level location accuracy such as delivery drones and customer-approved location data for first responders during emergencies...Additionally, the rollout of hyper-precise location services paired with Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband (UWB) network and 5G Edge, will pave the way for more autonomous technologies. more

Thursday, August 13, 2020

White Sims from the Dark Side

Russian SIMs. Encrypted SIMs. White SIMs. 

These cards go by different names in the criminal underground, and vary widely in quality and features...

Beyond spoofing phone numbers, some SIMs let a caller manipulate their voice in real-time, adding a baritone or shrill cloak to their phone calls that is often unintentionally funny. Other cards have the more worthwhile benefit of being worldwide, unlimited data SIMs that criminals source anonymously from suppliers without having to give up identifying information and by paying in Bitcoin.

The SIM cards themselves aren't inherently illegal, but criminals certainly make a noticeable chunk of the companies' customer bases. The NCA told Motherboard it has seized so-called Russian SIMs from suspects during investigations. more

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Attack Can Decrypt 4G (LTE) Calls to Eavesdrop on Conversations

A team of academics has detailed this week a vulnerability in the Voice over LTE (VoLTE) protocol that can be used to break the encryption on 4G voice calls.

 Named ReVoLTE, researchers say this attack is possible because mobile operators often use the same encryption key to secure multiple 4G voice calls that take place via the same base station (mobile cell tower)...

Researchers say that the equipment to pull off a ReVoLTE attack costs around $7,000. While the price might seem steep, it is certainly in the price range of other 3G/4G mobile interception gear, usually employed by law enforcement or criminal gangs...

A scientific paper detailing the ReVoLTE attack is also available for download as PDF from here and here. The paper is titled "Call Me Maybe: Ea­ves­drop­ping En­cryp­ted LTE Calls With Re­VoL­TE." more

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

NSA Tells Mobile Users Beware of Find-My-Phone

Beware of find-my-phone, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, NSA tells mobile users

And don't forget to limit ad tracking. Advisory contains a host of recommendations.

The National Security Agency is recommending that some government workers and people generally concerned about privacy turn off find-my-phone, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth whenever those services are not needed, as well as limit location data usage by apps.

“Location data can be extremely valuable and must be protected,” an advisory published on Tuesday stated. “It can reveal details about the number of users in a location, user and supply movements, daily routines (user and organizational), and can expose otherwise unknown associations between users and locations.” more

Monday, August 3, 2020

FutureWatch: Early (1930) Facetime Smartphone Calls

"This technology was predicted by many authors, futurists, and illustrators in the past. This one is one of the earliest illustrations on this subject; it was made in 1930. Again, the resemblance with a modern gadget that we all know as “smartphone” is uncanny." more