Showing posts sorted by relevance for query spyware phone. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query spyware phone. Sort by date Show all posts

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Beware - More Mobile Phone Spyware

From the web site...
• "Read everything on their mobile phones."
• "Read their SMS, call logs, emails and track their locations."
• "Remote listening. Listen to the phone's surroundings."
• "BUG Meeting rooms and CHECK babysitters."
• "Protect Your Children"
• "Catch Cheating Spouses"

Your first reaction might be, "Wow, this is amazingly cool!"

But, think...
FlexiSPY and other spyphone software like Neo-Call are Internet-available products which can be installed by anyone. The target could easily be you... especially if your phone was given to you.

Employers can use it too. "How?!?!"

Those wonderful folks at FlexiSPY also make FLEXIAnalyzer Enterprise - "Log EVERYTHING that happens on your employees business phones. ...a unique analytical tool for mobile device deployments that offers intelligent knowledge based analysis, in real-time, of all corporate phone activity." In other words, your boss can, "Monitor SMS, MMS, Email and other phone events..."

But wait! (Here comes the cruelest Ginsu knife cut of all...) "If required FlexiANALYZER comes bundled with FlexiSYNC enabling secure archiving and retrieval of all corporate contact lists..." Keep your little black book off your corporate cell phone.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

BlackBerry Q10 $349.99 + Spyware $2.99 = Live Eavesdropping, and more...

via BlackBerry World...
"This app allows users to remotely control their BlackBerry 10 device using commands sent via email messages. 

For example if the user has to lend their device to a friend or family for a period of time. In the meantime, the user would still like to know if there are any messages that came for them, or would still like to access some files that are stored in the device file system but since they do not have their device, they are currently out of reach. With this app, the user can simply send commands to the device to fetch this information even while they do not physically have access to the device. 

Another example of a use case is if the user loses their phone, or misplaces it somewhere but they are in urgent need of their messages and some files stored in the file system. They might also want to actually track down where their phone is by using additional means outside of BlackBerry? Protect. For example, they might want to hear the background noise around where the phone is currently to help narrow down where the phone may have been placed..." (rolls eyes)

Two of the many features:
-Spy tools: Remotely turn on/off microphone and get live feed.
-Commands can be sent from anywhere as long as the device has access to the mailbox. This means no additional installation of any other software or plugins is necessary!

Permissions Explanation:
1) Calendar: App uses this to process the 'calendar' commands to let you access your calendar events remotely.
2) Camera: App uses this to process the 'flash' command to access the camera and turn on the flashlight.
3) Contacts: App uses this to process the 'contact' query commands to let you access your contact details remotely.
4) Email/PIN Messages: App uses this to monitor your target inbox to actually listen for command messages and reply to them with the requested data.
5) GPS Location/Location: App uses this to process the 'location' commands to let you access your device's location remotely.
6) Microphone: App uses this to process the 'mic' commands to let you access your device's microphone to record audio remotely.
7) Shared Files: App uses this to process the 'get' commands to let you access your files and media remotely.
8) Text Messages: App uses this to process the 'unread sms' commands to let you access your unread SMS messages remotely.
(more) (video)


Why do I mention this?
So you will know what you're up against.

You probably don't even own a BlackBerry, but if you are in a meeting and somebody else does, beware. 
• Don't talk behind their back when they go to the restroom and leave their BlackBerry behind. They may have a second phone in their other pocket.
• Be aware they may have an accomplice remotely recording the meeting. 
• Be skeptical if you hear, "Oh, I left my phone in your office/car by mistake."

Thursday, December 13, 2012

How to secure your Android phone - 14 Tips

via Gary Sims, Spybusters and SpyWarn...
Tip #1 – Never leave your phone laying around where uninvited guests can access it.
Tip #2 – Use a lock screen.
Tip #3 – Set a PIN to protect purchases on Google Play.
Tip #4 – Install a phone location app / security app with an anti-theft component.
Tip #5 – Don’t install apps from dodgy third party sites.
Tip #6 – Always read the reviews of apps before installing them.
Tip #7 – Check the permissions. Does the "game" really need to send SMS messages?
Tip #8 – Never follow links in unsolicited emails or text messages to install an app.
Tip #9 – Use an anti-virus / anti-malware app.
Tip #10 – Don’t root your phone unless absolutely necessary.
Tip #11 – If your device has valuable data on it, use encryption.
Tip #12 – Use a VPN on unsecured Wi-Fi connection.
Tip #13 – Read "Is My Cell Phone Bugged?"
Tip #14 – Use SpyWarn (freemium) periodically to help determine if your phone has been infected with spyware.
(more)

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Emergency Phone - 15 Year Standby Battery Life

The $70 SpareOne emergency phone from Xpal Power, which uses a standard AA lithium battery, claims a standby time of up to 15 years. (10 hours talk time.)

Click to enlarge.
The phone has only the barest of features. No text, no Web, just phone calls and a dedicated 911 button. Indicators, like if you have a network connection, are provided by blinking colored lights. It saves a lot of power, but you’ll have to memorize what the color combinations mean.

The phone doesn’t even come with a SIM card, which you will need before you can use it, although you can make a 911 call using the emergency button even without the SIM card.

The phone is built for a GSM network, which means that in the United States it will work with T-Mobile, AT&T or companies that resell those networks. (more)


Bonus: It can not be infected with spyware. Too dumb. ~Kevin

Friday, March 9, 2012

Pursuit Magazine Book Review - "Is My Cell Phone Bugged?"

By Stephanie Mitchell, CompassPoint Investigations / Pursuit Magazine

"'Nearly everyone carries instant access to phone service, and tapping has become a personal concern.' The well documented comprehensive guide Is My Cell Phone Bugged, by Kevin D. Murray, provides well-documented information and research addressing cell phone privacy issues.

I found the book well written and superbly formatted. Even those who are not technologically savvy will find it to be very user-friendly. At no time during my reading did I feel bogged down with complicated technical language! Mr. Murray’s explanation and thorough direction assists the reader in regaining their privacy and the security of their personal information. Mr. Murray’s guidance ensures the reader that cell phone security and privacy can be achieved even if you are not a counterespionage expert.

I was impressed with the wealth of information and knowledge I gained from this book. Topics include: communications technology, purchasing secure cordless devices, how to avoid pre-bugged cell phones, understanding and identifying spyware, preventing tapping and information leaks, caller-ID technology, and identifying when your phone is under surveillance. As an investigator, I was particularly appreciative of the Legal Issues chapter covering privacy laws in a clear and precise manner." (complete review)


Thank you — Kevin

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Spy Speak - 21st Century Jargon Glossary

via The Guardian...
The NSA files leaked by Edward Snowden are full of intelligence services jargon. 
Decode the language...

Blackfoot
Name of an operation to bug the French mission to the UN.

Blarney
See Upstream.

Boundless Informant
The National Security Agency's internal analytic tool that allows it to monitor surveillance country by country and program by program.

Bruneau (or Hemlock)
The codenames given to the Italian embassy in Washington by the NSA.

Bluf
Stands for "bottom line up front" – a request from NSA analysts to collect less data from the Muscular program (see below) because it is of no intelligence value.

Bullrun
The NSA's efforts to undermine encryption technology that protects email accounts, banking transactions and official records. The UK has a similar programme, with both codenamed after civil war battles: Bullrun for the NSA and Edgehill for GCHQ.

Cheesy Name
A GCHQ program that selects encryption keys that might be vulnerable to being cracked.

Dishfire
Database that stores text messages, for future use.

DNI (digital network information)
Data sent across computer networks, such as web page requests, emails, voice over IP. (Formally, any information sent as "packets").

DNR (dialled number records)
The metadata around phone calls, including the sending and receiving of phone numbers, call time and duration.

Dropmire
A surveillance method that involves bugging encrypted fax machines. Used to spy on the European Union embassy in New York.

Edgehill
See Bullrun.

FISA court
The foreign intelligence surveillance court, a secret US court which oversees surveillance under the FISA Act.

Fairview
See Upstream.

Five Eyes
Britain, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – the club of English-speaking countries sharing intelligence.

GCHQ
Government Communications Headquarters, the UK intelligence agency focusing on signals and communications intelligence.

Genie
An NSA surveillance project to remotely implant spyware into overseas computers, including those in foreign embassies.

Humint
Short for "human intelligence", refers to information gleaned directly from sources or undercover agents. See also Sigint.

Keyhole
Code for images gathered by satellites.

Klondyke
The mission to snoop on the Greek embassy in Washington.

Mainway
The database where the NSA stores metadata of millions of phone calls for up to a year.

Marina
The database where the NSA stores metadata of millions of internet users for up to a year.

Metadata
The "envelope" of a phone call or email, which could include the time, the duration, the phone numbers or email addresses, and the location of both parties.

Muscular
Program to intercept Google and Yahoo traffic, exposed by the Washington Post.

Noforn
"Not for foreign distribution" – a classification of some of the Snowden slides.

NSA
The National Security Agency, the US agency, responsible for collecting and analysing intelligence, plus cybersecurity.

Oakstar
See Upstream.

Operation Socialist
The name of a GCHQ cyber-attack on Belgium's main telecoms provider, Belgacom.

Perdido
The codename for the bugging of EU missions in New York and Washington.

Polar Breeze
A technique for tapping into nearby computers.

Powell
The operation to snoop on the Greek UN mission.

Prism
A programme to collect data from internet companies including Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Apple.

Rampart-T
Spying efforts against leaders of China, Russia and several eastern European states.

Royal Concierge
A GCHQ surveillance project to track foreign diplomats' movements by monitoring the booking systems of high‑class hotels.

Sigint
Short for "signals intelligence", or information gathered through the interception of signals between people or computers. See also Humint.

Snacks
The NSA's Social Network Analysis Collaboration Knowledge Services, which analyses social hierarchies through text messages.

Stormbrew
See Upstream.

Tempora
A GCHQ programme to create a large-scale "internet buffer", storing internet content for three days and metadata for up to 30.

Tor
Free software allowing users to communicate anonymously.

Tracfin
Database storing information from credit card transactions

Turbulence, Turmoil and Tumult
Data analysis tools used by the NSA to sift through the enormous amount of internet traffic that it sees, looking for connections to target.

Upstream
Refers to bulk-intercept programs, codenamed Fairview, Stormbrew, Oakstar and Blarney, to intercept data in huge fibre-optic communications cables.

Verizon
One of America's largest telecoms providers, from which the NSA collects the phone records (metadata) of millions of customers.

Wabash
The codename given to the bugging of the French embassy in Washington.

XKeyscore
An NSA program that allows analysts to search vast databases of emails, online chats and browsing histories of millions of individuals, with no prior authorisation. (more)

Saturday, September 22, 2018

Smartphone Spying – All They Need is Your Number and You're Pegged

When an Israeli entrepreneur went into a meeting with the infamous spyware vendor NSO, company representatives asked him if it would be OK for them to demo their powerful and expensive spying software, known as Pegasus, on his own phone.

The entrepreneur, who spoke to Motherboard on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about the meeting, agreed, but said that NSO would have to target his other iPhone, which he brought with him and had a foreign phone number. He gave NSO that phone number and put the phone on the desk.

After “five or seven minutes,” the contents of his phone’s screen appeared on a large display that was set up in the meeting room, all without him even clicking on a malicious link, he said.

“I see clicking on all kinds of icons: email icon, SMS icon, and other icons,” he told Motherboard. “And suddenly I saw all my messages in there and I saw all the email in there and they were capable to open any information that was on my [iPhone].”

The entrepreneur added that the NSO representatives accessed the microphone and the camera on his iPhone. That demonstration highlighted the power of an increasingly popular product among governments: software for remotely hacking phones in order to access communications and other data from targets. more

UPDATE
Pegasus malware officially a global brand.


NSO Group's Pegasus surveillanceware has been on the market for around two years, and now researchers say the spyware has a global reach that would make most multinational corporations jealous.

CitizenLab reports that its latest analysis of the malware has found it operating in some 45 countries, usually in the hands of governments looking to keep tabs on its citizens. more
 

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Christmas, and another phone company Pontius Pilate's spyware

Vietnam - Mobile phone subscribers have become worried stiff when hearing that their phone conversations would be tapped at any time, as the software pieces and devices allowing to bug phone calls have been selling everywhere.

There are a lot of bug device suppliers. Especially, the ad pieces on supplying tapping software pieces and devices can be found on websites as well. The advertisers affirm that all the latest generation software pieces like Spyphone, Copyphone, PokerSpyphone, Spy Mobile, Mobile Phone Spy would be delivered right after buyers make payment.

Clients have been told that it’ll take them some minutes only to install the software or bug devices into the targeted phones to record all the conversations and messages. Especially, the devices are dirt cheap, just about one million dong, which makes nothing to the people who can afford the smart phones running on iOS or Android.

In reply, network operators have affirmed that they have no involvement in the wiretapping operation and that in principle, all the personal information of subscribers has been kept confidential. (more)


But, we don't hear them complaining about the extra revenue they earn from spyware data transfers. ~Kevin

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Cell Phone Spyware Found on 150,000 Phones

China - The National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center has found a mutated version of a spyware software that allows a third party to eavesdrop on a two-way cell phone conversation without the users knowledge, Beijing Times reported Wednesday.

More than 150,000 mobile phone users are victims of Xwodi, Beijing-based NetQin Technology Company, a mobile security services firm said Wednesday.

The firm did not say what phone company the customers mainly used, or whether the victims were concentrated in a particular city.

Once the virus gets into the mobile phone, Xwodi records the users' messages and voice calls, and then send the information to a dedicated receptor. (more)

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Trojan Horse Spyware Masquerades as a "News" Item

Is this a blatant commercial for cell phone spyware being pawned off as a 'news' item? You decide. This just in from MSNBC.com...

"If you suspected your spouse, child or employee was up to no good, would you want concrete proof? Would it help if you had access to every phone call, text and e-mail they sent?

If so, a new cell-phone spying application might be right up your alley.

Made by Retina Software and released this week, ePhoneTracker allows users to monitor every move made on a person’s mobile phone, from call info and text messages to websites visited, e-mails sent and received, new contacts added and even the GPS coordinates of the phone’s user. Even deleted e-mails and texts can be retrieved by ePhoneTracker...

The software sells for $49.97. It is available for Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, Windows Mobile 6 or Symbian OS 9." (more

Hope they give my book equal coverage.

Friday, November 8, 2013

Private Investigator + Software Firm = Cell Phone Spyware Arrest

India - The Central Crime Branch (CCB) police arrested two persons, who allegedly used a software to collect confidential and personal data of cellphone users, for detective purposes...

The preliminary investigation has revealed that several mobile numbers of clients all over India have been snooped upon over the past year, the police said.

[The] firm was allegedly involved in using snooping software on Android and Blackberry based mobile phones. The firm was allegedly monitoring phone calls and messages of people, on behalf of their clients for detective purposes...

Once the software is installed and whenever user starts using the mobile, all data pertaining to his calls including conversation recordings / messages / e-mails, chats, picture and videos on the mobile phone would be automatically uploaded to a server hosted somewhere else using the target mobile phone’s GPRS data.

Even the exact geographical movements of the target in terms of latitude and longitude would be recorded and sent to the server in real time. The clients of detective agencies would be provided with a login username and password to view the data and movements of target’s mobile phone on a web browser and Google maps. (more)

Monday, November 28, 2011

Cell Phone Spyware's New Market - from cheating spouse to the kids!

The latest smart phone technology allows worried parents to keep tabs on their children and, unlike previous apps, it remains completely hidden. 

The technology, which has been criticized as an invasion of privacy, is just the latest weapon for "helicopter" parents keeping a short leash on their children, to ensure they are not sexting or hanging out with the wrong crowd.

As one program's website warns: "Are your kids involved with texting dangers? What are they secretly texting about? Are they visiting porn sites on the phone? You have the right to know."

The latest programs to hit the market, Spyera Software and Mobile Spy, offer stealth GPS tracking and the abilities to read text messages, read emails and view photos.

Spyera even promises to turn the phone into a "remote bugging device" so parents can listen to conversations wherever the phone is left. (more)

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

"Is My Cell Phone Bugged?" - Urgent Reader Update

In the book, Is My Cell Phone Bugged? (just available this week), the chapter Spyware Scams, Misleading Notions & “Experts” warns readers about people who are taking advantage of them. This update is about a new scam.

Summary: Phoney anti-virus program attacks cell phone. Scam'er makes money.

via CA Security Advisory Research...
"We have seen countless number of rogue security products for Windows platform however this one is targeted to trick mobile users.

The sample masquerades itself as a certain AV (a bogus Kaspersky anti-virus program) for mobile and always reports that it has identified two threats in the mobile and pretends that it has encountered an error while trying to cure. It provides the users an error code as a reference token of the error scenario.

This sample is supposedly spread by some social engineering tricks where the users would have been provided with support numbers/email id to contact to resolve these error codes displayed in screen 5. This info was missing to conclude how the malware authors were actually getting the money.

As mentioned in our earlier blogs, the best defense against such social engineering tricks is the education of users coupled with a mobile security solution. With the exponential growth of the smart phone market, it is expected such kind of threats will be growing proportionately.

We advise users to exercise basic security principles while surfing and be skeptical of free downloads, and as always keep your security products up to date." (more)

Is My Cell Phone Bugged? comes with free updates. For now, the updates will be posted here. Eventually they will only be available to purchasers, via private email.

Monday, December 19, 2016

Reality Spyware Documentary - Find My Phone

What happens to a smartphone after it's stolen? That was the question that a film student in Amsterdam had in mind when he produced a short documentary about a smartphone thief and their stolen goods. On the surface, it might not sound like the most avant-garde idea out there. But here's what made it interesting: the student procured material for his documentary by spying on the thief using a bugged smartphone.

The student, a certain Anthony van der Meer, intentionally had a phone of his stolen – one that he loaded with software called "Cerberus."

As The Next Web reported, the software gave him access to the device location, its features, and its contents – all of which he could retrieve when he wanted. The software also allowed him to make use of the phone's camera and microphone so he could spy on the thief.


For 2 weeks, that's exactly what der Meer did. He spied on the thief, tracking his moves, which resulted in the documentary posted above called Find My Phone – almost the namesake of the Apple app "Find My iPhone" used to find one's phone or disable it after being stolen. more

Excellent work, Anthony! ~Kevin

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Google Bans SMS Spy App Tap

A controversial mobile phone application, which helps a cell phone user read the text messages of others secretly, has been removed from sale by Internet search engine Google.
Google said the application, called SMS Secret Replicator, violated its terms.

Once installed on a mobile phone, the Android phone application automatically creates carbon copies of incoming text messages and forwards them to a selected number - prompting fears it could be used by jealous lovers and even work colleagues to snoop on private messages. (more) (video)
Google may have dropped it from their marketplace, but doesn't mean this $9.99 app is not available elsewhere. (more
Coming soon, a way you can detect if your phone is infected with spyware. (more)

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Here Come the Cell Phone Anti-Spyware Laws

WV - A type of stalking that relies on the victim's mobile phone could soon become a crime in West Virginia.

The state Senate unanimously passed a bill to the House on Monday that targets anyone who secretly puts spying software on someone else's mobile phone or device.

These programs allow the spy to eavesdrop on phone calls, monitor text and e-mail, and track the victim's location.

The bill exempts parents, service and global positioning system providers, and employers when they supplied the mobile device.

Those guilty of this new misdemeanor would face up to six months in jail, a fine of up to $500 or both.

Sen. Clark Barnes sponsored the bill after learning of a woman who was stalked and harassed through her mobile phone for three years. (more)

Friday, July 19, 2013

Android Malware that Gives Hackers Remote Control is Rising (Technical but important news.)

via... Sean Gallagher - Ars Technica 
Remote access tools have long been a major part of targeted hacker attacks on individuals and corporate networks. RATs* have been used for everything from hacking the e-mail boxes of New York Times reporters to capturing video and audio of victims over their webcams. Recently, wireless broadband and the power of smartphones and tablets have extended hackers’ reach beyond the desktop. In a blog post yesterday, Symantec Senior Software Engineer Andrea Lelli described the rise of an underground market for malware tools based on Androrat, a remote administration tool that can give an attacker complete control over devices running the Android OS.

Androrat was published on GitHub in November 2012 as an open source tool for remote administration of Android devices. Packaged as a standard Android application (in an APK file), Androrat can be installed as a service on the device that launches at start-up or as a standard “activity” application. Once it’s installed, the user doesn’t need to interact with the application at all—it can be activated remotely by an SMS message or a call from a specific phone number.

The app can grab call logs, contact data, and all SMS messages on the device, as well as capture messages as they come in. It can provide live monitoring of call activity, take pictures with the phone’s camera, and stream audio from the phone’s microphone back to its server. It can also post “toasts” (application messages) on the screen, place phone calls, send text messages, and open websites in the phone’s browser. If it is launched as an application (or “activity”), it can even stream video from the camera back to the server.

Hackers have taken Androrat’s code and run with it. Recently, underground marketplaces for malware have begun to offer Androrat “binder” tools, which can attach the RAT to the APK files of other legitimate applications. When a user downloads what appears to be a harmless app that has been bound to Androrat, the RAT gets installed along with the app without requiring additional user input, sneaking past Android’s security model. Symantec reports that analysts have found 23 instances of legitimate apps that have been turned into carriers for Androrat. The code has also been incorporated into other “commercial” malware, such as Adwind—a Java-based RAT that can be used against multiple operating systems.

Lelli said that Symantec has detected “several hundred” cases of Androrat-based malware infections on Android devices, mostly in the US and Turkey. But now that binders are available to anyone willing to pay for them, the potential for infection to spread is growing rapidly. (more)


*Spybusters Countermeasure: Android app SpyWarn detects RAT spyware activity. (http://tinyurl.com/SpyWarnApp)

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Spouse Spying Causes More Problems

New Zealand - Suspicious spouses who use spy software to track phone calls and text messages on their cheating partner's cellphone may be breaking the law.

One website to offer the spyware service, Flexispy, allows people to download the software to a suspected adulterer's internet-capable phone for a fee. The virtually undetectable software tracks every text and phone call made from the phone and a summary can be viewed online. But New Zealand Institute of Professional Investigators president Trevor Morley says use of the software would amount to phone-tapping, which is illegal in this country.

"Even if it was not an offence under the... Crimes Act provisions to use that software, we suggest that its use would definitely be a breach of various provisions of the Privacy Act.

Assistant privacy commissioner Katrine Evans said there were cases where spying or surveillance by a parent of a child or within a couple did not breach privacy laws. (more)

The same is generally true in the United States of America.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Cell Phone - Dead Giveaway

WA - A man who fatally shot his five children and killed himself had just discovered his wife was leaving him for another man, authorities said...

The night before, the father and his eldest daughter went in search of his wife, Angela Harrison. The daughter used a GPS feature in her mother's cell phone to find her with another man at a convenience store in nearby Auburn, said Ed Troyer, spokesman for the Pierce County Sheriff. (more)

Security Director takeaways...
Aside from the eavesdropping and text spyware vulnerabilities, GPS can also be a security issue (for bad or good). Get to know the capabilities of the corporate cell phones you are specifying for your executives.
• Do not give them more features than they really need.
• Make them aware of features which could be used against them. (Google Latitude, for example.)
• Caution them about opening email attachments or temporarily loosing physical control of their phones. Both are opportunities to plant spyware.
• Swap out phones with factory fresh phones on a regular basis for high-value executives. It is cheap insurance against spyware attacks.
• Remember our warning back in December? (this one) Although the news report mentions a cell phone GPS I suspect it is more likely someone slipped a GPS tracker, like Zoombak, into her car. Check your executive vehicles periodically for items like these.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Cell Phone Security Issues on the Rise

More small companies are allowing employees to use their personal smart phones for work. But that move could lead to big trouble, thanks to a new breed of hackers who are starting to target mobile phones.

Hackers can use spyware to keep an eye on what you type and what messages you receive, possibly gleaning company secrets. They can even can track your device's location, potentially allowing them to figure out your clients or plans by looking at where you go...


Mobile spyware,
according to experts, is readily available. Many point to FlexiSPY, a program sold by Thai software company Vervata Co. The company promotes the product as a way for
husbands and wives to catch their cheating spouses. Once installed on a person's phone, FlexiSPY tracks the device's whereabouts and monitors incoming and outgoing calls, text messages and emails. The information is then uploaded to a central server and can be viewed by the person who originally installed the software.

Nobody is accusing Vervata of stealing information, but some security experts argue that the software is ripe for abuse. It can be used by anyone to steal personal information and company secrets, they argue. A business might install the software on a rival's phone, for instance, to steal a contact list or monitor email traffic.


Phones that use the Symbian operating system, meanwhile, are vulnerable to a program that can capture the keystrokes of the device...

BlackBerrys may also be vulnerable to attack. ...Research In Motion Ltd. says that security policies built into the BlackBerry Enterprise Server software can guard against such spyware. Many small businesses, however, can't afford the BlackBerry server.


Even Apple Inc.'s iPhone may be vulnerable... While the iPhone offers password protection, it lacks other capabilities such as data encryption...
The iPhone does offer the ability to create a secure virtual-private-network connection to company headquarters... But small businesses often lack VPN capabilities. (more)

One Solution for You...
Secure Mobile Systems (SMobile), designs security applications for mobile devices. They offer a comprehensive product suite that protects users of mobile devices from viruses, data compromise, the effects of device theft, and unauthorized data access.