Paranoid about your cellphone?

Spiegel (a German news magazine) reported that police
in Germany have done several criminal investigations
and obtained convictions based on evidence gathered
from re-programmed cell phones. The software that
runs the cellphone can be changed over the air.
In fact, this is how manufactures fix bugs or add
new features or improvements.
Anyway, with this altered software, the cellphone
acts "normal" when turned off (display goes off,
no calls are received), but actually it is still
in receive mode. When a special command is sent,
the phone's microphone is turned on, and it transmits
all that is picked up within microphone range.
What a convenient way to place a listening device!
Of course, this is only done with a proper search
warrant (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

You don't suppose they would be doing that elsewhere?
Like in the US, Canada or U.K.?

Bill Pfeifer <billpfeifer@hotmail.com> wrote in
news:ydidnVlsqsNi41LbnZ2dnUVZ_oLinZ2d@comcast.com:

> When a special command is sent,
> the phone's microphone is turned on, and it transmits
> all that is picked up within microphone range.
> What a convenient way to place a listening device!
> Of course, this is only done with a proper search
> warrant (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge)
>

http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/sh-055dv.html
Of course, there ARE countermeasures. When it's transmitting, this
device will alarm at a very regular rhythm every time a packet is sent.
An offline cellphone rarely transmits except when it is commanded.

Isn't surveillance the reason "they" started putting webcams....er, ah,
cameras....into cellphones? It would be very simple to get it to offer a
picture from its cam, in realtime, too.

The very simplest countermeasure is a metal coffee can. NO cellphone is
going to transmit out of a closed metal coffee can's little shield room.
Hell, it's hard enough to get most of them to make the tower standing on
the roof holding it over your head! It won't ring. The gps receiver
won't function, either. Truth is GPS takes a few minutes of UNOBSTRUCTED
satellite view on at least 3 birds before it has your real location,
anyways. Cellphone GPS receivers aren't black magic. If you're indoors,
especially in a metal-roof building, it's dead. If you're in heavy trees
or in most wooden structures, it's dead, too.

Is it any wonder the bureaucrats have outlawed cellphone jammers? Think
about it.


Larry
--

On Fri, 24 Aug 2007 17:59:42 -0700, Bill Pfeifer
<billpfeifer@hotmail.com> wrote:

>Spiegel (a German news magazine) reported that police
>in Germany have done several criminal investigations
>and obtained convictions based on evidence gathered
>from re-programmed cell phones. The software that
>runs the cellphone can be changed over the air.
>In fact, this is how manufactures fix bugs or add
>new features or improvements.
>Anyway, with this altered software, the cellphone
>acts "normal" when turned off (display goes off,
>no calls are received), but actually it is still
>in receive mode. When a special command is sent,
>the phone's microphone is turned on, and it transmits
>all that is picked up within microphone range.
>What a convenient way to place a listening device!
>Of course, this is only done with a proper search
>warrant (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge)
>
>You don't suppose they would be doing that elsewhere?
>Like in the US, Canada or U.K.?

Any rifle or shotgun carefully aimed and fired from close range at the
cellphone will render it useless to anyone trying to use it as a spy
tool. It should only take a minute to load the gun and put a
permanent end to anyone wanting to invade your privacy. I suggest
anyone who has a police record and anyone who does not have a police
record shoot your cellphone immediately. If you dont have a gun, you
can either borrow one, or use the alternative methods, which generally
work but take more effort. Either lay the phone on a train track just
before a train comes, place it under the tires of a large semi truck,
or build a large campfire and toss the phone into the flames.

I recommend you take these steps immediately to insure your privacy.

Ken