RE: FW: Suicide mystery in Greek spy scandal

["Richard M. Smith" <rms () computerbytesman com>]

Was a copy of the spyware available to be analyzed that Ericscon found?  If
so, did the software give any clues where it came from?

As an aside, one of my favorite TV shows is Law & Order.  On a recent
episode, someone installed spyware in a cellphone switch to hide what cell
tower a particular cellphone was using.  I though the idea that malware
could be installed in a cellphone switch was bunk.  Looks like I was
wrong.....

Richard 

-----Original Message-----
From: funsec-bounces () linuxbox org [mailto:funsec-bounces () linuxbox org] On
Behalf Of Stelios Maistros
Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2006 4:12 PM
To: 'FunSec [List]'
Subject: RE: [funsec] FW: Suicide mystery in Greek spy scandal

Yes, they are going crazy with this day and night over here. Everyone is
suddenly an expert going from one TV show to the next.
Vodafone has all but disapeared from the airwaves issuing only statements to
the press. No commercials anywhere.
The crazy thing is that once they found the "ghost software" (actually
Ericscon found it)  they shut it down before reporting it.
At least that's what they say..who know for real..

Stelios


> -----Original Message-----
> From: funsec-bounces () linuxbox org
> [mailto:funsec-bounces () linuxbox org] On Behalf Of Richard M. Smith
> Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2006 5:29 AM
> To: 'FunSec [List]'
> Subject: [funsec] FW: Suicide mystery in Greek spy scandal
>
>
> http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2025457,00.html
>
> Suicide mystery in Greek spy scandal
> Philip Pangalos, in Athens
>  
> THE suicide of a senior Vodafone employee in Athens last March is 
> being re-examined to see whether it has any connection with a 
> phone-tapping scandal in which the conversations of the Greek prime 
> minister and other leading officials were monitored during the months 
> before and after the 2004 Olympics.
>
> Illegal software installed in a "ghost program" at Vodafone Greece 
> allowed conversations to be recorded on about 100 mainly government 
> mobiles until March 2005, when the surveillance was uncovered.
>  
> The conversations of Kostas Karamanlis, the prime minister, and his 
> wife Natasa were taped. Other government figures targeted for 
> eavesdropping included Petros Molyviatis, the foreign minister, 
> Spilios Spiliotopoulos, the defence minister, and George Voulgarakis, 
> the public order minister The affair has provoked fevered speculation 
> with American security agents being widely blamed for the tapping. The 
> Greek government has said four antennae near the US embassy in Athens 
> were used to transmit the conversations recorded.
>
> To Vima, an Athens daily, also claimed yesterday that MI6 had secret 
> surveillance operations in the area, but security experts said the 
> Americans have more advanced and discreet equipment.
>
> As part of the government's investigation into the scandal, the 
> suicide of Kostas Tsalikidis, 39, Vodafone Greece's head of network 
> design, is being re-examined by police.
>
> Tsalikidis was found hanged in his Athens flat on the morning of March 
> 9, 2005, two days after the ghost program had been discovered and shut 
> down by George Koronias, the Vodafone general manager, and a day 
> before the prime minister's office was informed.
>
> At the time detectives found no suicide note. They are now examining 
> the dead man's laptop, which has been in police storage for the past 
> year.
>
> Vodafone issued a statement on Friday saying the death of its former 
> employee was unconnected with the phone tapping.
> However, Tsalikidis's family and friends have said that he spoke of 
> work-related pressures prior to his death.
>  
>   
>  
> _______________________________________________
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_______________________________________________
Fun and Misc security discussion for OT posts.
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Note: funsec is a public and open mailing list.
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Fun and Misc security discussion for OT posts.
https://linuxbox.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/funsec
Note: funsec is a public and open mailing list.