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