Is My Cell Phone Bugged? Everything you need to know to keep your mobile communications private.
Is My Cell Phone Bugged? Everything you need to know to keep your mobile communications private.Book Update:
Thank you for purchasing or considering the purchase of “Is My Cell Phone Bugged?” A SpyWarn™ Mobile Sensor was mentioned in the book as an aid to detecting spyware on your phone. However, technology has advanced a bit since the book was written. The SpyWarn™ Mobile Sensor was designed before recent transmission types were developed and is no longer considered effective. It has been replaced by a self-timing method and an automatic Android app evaluation, SpyWarn 2.0.
Self-timing Spyware Detection Technique
• Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
• Turn off all apps; you don’t want legitimate app transmissions to be mistaken as spyware transmissions.
• Place your phone close to an AM radio or other piece of electronic equipment with an amplifier. Listen for the noise the phone makes when it transmits.
Sample GSM transmission noise:
Sample CDMA2000 transmission noise:
• Keep track of the amount of time the phone transmits during a given period of time, as mentioned in the book.
This stopwatch will make your observations easier and more accurate.
Math Help
To change hours and minutes (hh:mm) to all minutes: hours x 60 + minutes = all minutes
This handy Time Calculator adds and subtracts hours and minutes.
SpyWarn 2.0™ – Automatic Spyware Evaluation App – Android
If you have an Android phone, the app version of the test—SpyWarn 2.0™—automates the entire testing process for you. As a book buyer, you may download the app free of charge. Purchase the app from Google Play. Send us your receipt number and purchase date, and we will process a refund.
If you like the app, please write a positive review. If not, please tell us so we can improve the app.
iPhones cannot be inspected with an app. Apple’s iOS does not allow it. To inspect iPhones, use the timing method mentioned above, or simply reload the iOS software, as that will wipe out any spyware.
Links, Definitions & Bonus Information
Glossary
AMPS, Apps, Analog Transmission, Bluetooth, Cellular/Mobile Telephone, Circumstantial Evidence, CDMA, VAR, Cordless Headset, Cordless Telephone, DECT & DECT 6.0, Digital Transmission, DSS, FHSS, GSM Bug, GPRS, GPS, GSM, IMTS, Jailbreak, Malware, MMS, MTS, Pico-cell, TDMA, Trojan Horse, SIM, SMS, Spread Spectrum, Spyware, vCard, VoIP, UMTS, Wi-Fi Phone.
Telecom Glossary (5,800 more definitions)
Additional Assistance
For a full forensic examination of your smartphone, tablet, or other personal electronics devices, you may want to contact Black Swan Digital Forensics.
Authentication & Encryption
General: Password (MSCHAPv2), RSASecurID, x.509 Digital Certificates, Shared secret 802.1x authentication: EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS, EAP-SIM, PEAP, LEAP, SafeNet
Bluetooth
Bluetooth hacking video. Bluetooth automobile eavesdropping information.
Bluetooth Hacks: Bluejacking, BlueSnarfing, BlueBugging, HeloMoto, BlueSmack, and BlueSniping
Bluetooth Security: Guide to Bluetooth Security
Dumb Mobile Phones
Dumb cell phones cannot hold spyware, cannot GPS track and do not have Bluetooth capabilities. The least expensive way to ensure you will not be tracked, eavesdropped on, or have your information stolen by spyware is to use a dumb cell phone. Sources: BM70, Kyocera Marbl K127, Motorola W260g, Motorola C139, and more.
Mobile Phones with Encrypted Operating Systems
Blackphone, Sectera, CryptoPhone, TopSec Mobile
Encryption Software Mobile Phones
SilentCircle, PhoneCrypt, Cellcrypt
Mobile Phone Security
Office of Technology Assessment, Congress of the United States
Developing an Effective Corporate Mobile Policy by BlackBerry
Shielded Bags for Mobile Phones
eBay.com, faradaybag.com, yondr
SIM Card Readers
Mobile Phone Surveillance Tools
Spyware vendors, GSM bugs on eBay, GSM bugs on the Internet
Spyware Protection Apps for Mobile Phones
New York Times story about spyware protection apps.
SpyWarn, Norton, F-Secure, Lookout
Cordless Phones
Cordless Phone Frequencies – 900 MHz, 1.9 GHz, 2.4 GHz, 5.8 GHz (with explanation)
Encryption
Secure Network Communications: VPN (see below), SSL/TLS, WPA / WPA2 / WPA3
Secure Platform Foundations: Runtime Protection, Mandatory Code Signing, Secure Authentication Framework. VPN protocols: Cisco IPSec, L2TP/IPSec, PPTP
Government Reports & Laws
The Wire and Electronic Communications Interception and Interception of Oral Communications Act (formally known as the “Title III” Wiretap Act, 18 U.S.C. §§ 2510-2520)
Cell Phones as Tracking Devices, By M. Wesley Clark, J.D., LL.M.
Cell Phone Technology and Physical Surveillance, By M. Wesley Clark, J.D., LL.M.
NOTE: This link will automatically download an FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin entitled, may06leb_revised.pdf. The article appears in this pdf.
• 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (“FISA”, 50 U.S.C. 1801 et seq)
• The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (“ECPA”, 18 U.S.C. 2701)
• Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (“CALEA”, Pub. L. 103-414, 47 U.S.C. 1001–1010)
• USA Patriot Act
State Electronic Surveillance Laws, with links (sign-in required).
“A Practical Guide to Taping Phone Calls and In-Person Conversations in the 50 States and D.C.” The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
How Governments Locate & Track Cell Phones – Article 1, Article 2, Article 3
Bonus Resources
Murray Associates – Spyware Detection Clues.
Apple: iOS Security.
UV paint for ID marking your phone
Reinstall cell phone software.
The Gift of Fear and Other Survival Signals that Protect Us From Violence, by Gavin de Becker
DFI News Digital Forensic Investigator®
Sounds
Background sounds: Subtle audio loops to play while conducting Duty Cycle tests on your cell phone:
Quiet Bus
Saturn
Quiet Airplane
Highway Sounds
Rain Forest
Amusement Park Sounds
Airport Sounds 1
Airport Sounds 2
People Talking 1
People Talking 2
Highway Traffic
Crowd Talking Outdoors
Seashore
Local Traffic
Internet sound samples. Recorded sound. The Alibi CD.
Virtual Private Networks (VPN)
https://proprivacy.com/vpn/comparison/best-vpn-services
Contains detailed information, advice and recommendations.
YouTube Videos
Links to YouTube videos on how cell phone spyware works.
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Murray Associates is an independent security consulting firm that provides eavesdropping detection and counterespionage services to businesses, governments, and at-risk individuals.
Headquartered in the New York metropolitan area, Murray Associates can assist you quickly, anywhere in the United States and internationally.
EXTRAS:
• More security tips, spy and privacy news at spybusters.blogspot.com. Be sure to sign up for the free email updates.
• Concerned about Spy Cameras? Learn how to detect them.
