Is Your Phone Bugged?
By Avinash Kadam, MIEL e-Security
We have been following all the action drama about the killing of the most wanted terrorist on earth with great interest. We were impressed that there was no telephone or internet connection to the safe house and that even the trash was being burnt.
The human contact, the only bridge connecting to the outside world, proved to be the proverbial weakest link. It was monitored with great patience and perseverance, and finally it was the tapping of a phone call made by this human contact that yielded success.
Consider how easy it is to keep track of someone, who is not as careful as the most wanted terrorist on earth. I came across this range of spy phone software being offered by a number of companies. If the claims are to be believed, all that you need for this software is the physical possession of the target phone instrument for merely five minutes, and an internet connection. You can download the software to the phone and be in the business of spying. You can gift this ‘bugged’ phone, or sell it, or just return it from where you had borrowed it for a few minutes. This phone is now at your beck and call. By sending SMS to it, you can do the following things:
- You can remotely switch on the phone and use it as a pocket microphone to listen to all the surrounding conversations
- You can intercept a phone conversation and listen without disturbing, becoming a silent party to a conference call
- Even if you are not currently connected to your victim, you will still get copies of sms sent by your victim like a bcc: and also the list of all numbers called by your victim
- You will also be able to track the victim and get its exact location, if the target phone has its GPS activated
- If your victim changes his/her SIM card, the software will send a SMS to you informing the new number to be monitored. The software is linked to the target phone’s IMEI number and will not be removed unless removed by you through a command from your phone.
How does one know if someone has bugged your phone? The entire operation is very silent, very stealthy. The bugged phone does not show any sign nor display any messages when it receives a command from the monitoring phone. The only tell-tale sign is the target mobile phone’s bill. All the spying SMS sent to the monitoring phone will, of course, appear in the target’s phone bill. So, scrutinize your phone bill carefully and check all the sms entries. The tip to the budding spy, given by the software vendor, is to keep changing the monitor phone’s SIM card frequently to avoid being detected.
So what are the preventive measures?
- Do not lend your phone to anyone
- Do not let your phone be out of your sight
- Do not accept a gift phone. It may be the proverbial Trojan horse
- Do not buy a second hand phone. It may be a bargain, but you may get more than you bargained for
- Buy the phone from an official dealer only, preferably in an unopened package
You may not dispense with these precautions merely because you are not in the category of someone being tracked with the might of surveillance forces. Someone may be just curious about your business or personal activities and may plant the bug in your phone, since it is so easy. The spy software vendors are also offering franchisee opportunities ‘to earn thousands of dollars’ to anyone who wants to provide this service. So beware.
You may be bugged. And of course, do not try to buy the software, you may be conned.
The author is at MIEL e-Security
Article source: http://www.informationweek.in/Mobile/11-07-15/Are_you_bugged.aspx