: Re: IP: Detecting Cell Phones Used As Bugging Devices

[David Farber <dfarber () earthlink net>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>
Date: Tue, 11 Jun 2002 14:31:12 
To: farber () cis upenn edu
Subject: Re: IP: Detecting Cell Phones Used As Bugging Devices

Dave,

I discussed the issue of cell phones as bugs several years ago
in my PRIVACY Forum Digest.  Perhaps what's most interesting
is that for many phones there isn't even any need for
modification -- they could be used as bugs right out of the box!
For readers who might be interested, here is the text of that
item from the Forum:

   --------------

Date:    Sat, 7 Aug 99 16:14 PDT
From:    lauren () vortex com (Lauren Weinstein; PRIVACY Forum Moderator)
Subject: Cell Phones Become Instant Bugs!

Greetings.  A disturbing application for the new generations of digital cell
phones appears to be developing--many models can be easily used as
remote-controlled clandestine listening devices ("bugs"), often with little
or no modification.

It turns out that many current cell phone models can be set into modes where
they are completely silent (no "boops" or "beeps") and will answer incoming
calls automatically.  This latter mode is designed for use in hands-free
(headset) situations.  A cell phone left in a strategic location set in such
modes may be silently interrogated from virtually anywhere on the planet
with a simple phone call, and will happily transmit the room conversations
back to the caller.  When the caller hangs up, the cell phone resets, ready
for the next call.  

In some cases, phones can be placed into this "automatic answer" mode
without any accessories being required.  For some models, a headset connector
needs to be plugged into the phone, which may be modified to allow the phone
to continue using its built-in microphone when in its "bugging" mode, or
could trivially have a remote microphone wired via a very thin cable to the
actual cell phone some distance away.

Even without an outside source of power, many modern digital cell phones can
have standby times of a week or more, and be able to transmit conversations
for a number of hours.  With an outside power source, they could perform
their bugging functions indefinitely.

Since various commercial firms are now planning to offer a wide variety of
location-based services using cell phone location tracking capabilities,
(which were originally mandated for 911 use), it seems likely that planted
cell phones may soon be usable to track the location of persons or moving
vehicles as well.  Just picture a cell phone hidden in a car trunk with a
tiny microphone wired up behind the rear seat, for example.  The car wiring
would also provide an ideal source of continuing power for both bugging and
tracking via the cell phone.  Simple, cheap, and accessible from practically
anywhere!

With cell phones becoming smaller and the associated networks ever more
ubiquitous, this whole area has a great deal of potential for serious
privacy-invasive abuses.

   --------------

--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren () pfir org or lauren () vortex com or lauren () privacyforum org
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
Co-Founder, PFIR - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Co-Founder, Fact Squad - http://www.factsquad.org
Co-Founder, URIICA - Union for Representative International Internet
                     Cooperation and Analysis - http://www.uriica.org
Moderator, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy

For archives see:
http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/