Electronic Detection of Cell Phone Bugging

Do you need a Cell Phone Spy Specialist for Electronic Detection of Cell Phone Bugging?

Smartphones have become commonplace in our daily lives.

The Nielsen Company did a study of smartphone data usage in June 2011 and found an explosive pace in the first quarter of 2011.  Compared to the first quarter 2011, usage went up 89% with Android users creating the most demand for information.  We consumers are leaning heavily on SmartPhones for our daily life more and more.

Android is the Google open source operating system where any developer can create an app.  The good news is having so many possibilities.  The bad news is there are malicious people out there who can easily manipulate applications.

As a society, we store a ton of our personal data on our smartphone.  We can even have our credit cards, health insurance cards, etc. stored on our phones for ease of use.  What a great opportunity for cyber crimes such as identity theft.

The same technology that lets you stay in touch on-the-go can also allow others into your private world without you even knowing they’re there.

It used to be a matter of simple wiretapping, when the worst your phone could do was let someone listen in to your conversations.  Now, cell phone spying tools are more powerful weapons against your privacy.

Beware of Cell Phone Spyware

Need a tool to keep track of your kids or an errant spouse?  Try spyphone call interceptors such as FlexiSpy and Stealthphone Call Interceptor.  They are spyware programs for your cell phone that capture call logs, text messages, GMS/GPS Location of cell phone, and mobile Internet connections. The captured data is sent to the vendor’s server which someone can access through the web.

This software sounds like a great idea but it is ripe for abuse.  Security specialists have labeled these types of applications as a Spy Trojan and monitor devices with anti-virus software.  With the “Ghost Mode” embedded, the software is completely invisible to the phone user.  Just like a key logger, the hidden interface can be accessed with a code known only by the person who installed the application.

How Does Your Cell Phone Get Infected

Spyware can install onto your cell phone from various sources.

• Be cautious when opening an attachment from a text message sent from an unknown number.
• Download ringtones only from reputable sites.  Spyware can be hidden inside “free” ringtones.
• Just like with your computer, surfing the internet on your phone can open you up to spyware installing.  Stick to sites you know are safe.
• All smartphones are Bluetooth-enabled which means easy access to secretly installing spyware.

Here is an example of how easy it is for someone to install spy software:
A woman who is targeting an executive to steal his secrets, will flirt and invite him to dinner. She can ask to use his phone because hers is about to die. He hands her his phone and she pretends to be texting while she was clicking on a malicious link sent by an accomplice. This link installs Flexispy on the targeted phone as a trustfully software (because it is in her hands). She is even allowing a “new Bluetooth connection” from Cellebrite that remotely gains all the information on the SIM/Hard disk from that phone – even deleted data. The executive’s data is compromised in less than 3 minutes.

Detecting Spyware isn’t Easy

There are dozens of bug detectors available from surveillance companies.  Restoring your cell phone to the factory settings will clear out any hidden software that’s running on your phone.

Security experts say there may be some subtle signs your phone is invaded:

• You seem to have trouble shutting it off, or it stays lit up after you’ve powered down.
• The phone sometimes lights up when you aren’t making or receiving a call, or using any other function.
• You regularly hear odd background noises or clicks when you are on the phone.
• Watch the battery life.  You probably already know how long your cell phone will last on a single charge.  If your battery starts to run low more quickly than usual this might indicate that some other software is running on your phone.
• Are you receiving unusual SMS messages or dropped calls from unknown numbers?  A occasional occurrence doesn’t mean much, but if this starts to happen on a regular basis you should think about getting your phone checked.
• Watch for unusual behavior from your phone when making or receiving a call.  If your phone makes unusual noises or starts to vibrate unnecessarily have it checked.  It doesn’t even have to be during a call that strange events happen.  If you phone starts to beep vibrate when it is just sitting on its own then something could be wrong.

Large amounts of radio frequency (RF) activity make GMS and GPS tracking on your cell phone much harder to detect and, therefore, is a growing threat. Detecting these threats has caused the need for more sophisticated, expensive, and specialized equipment, such as Spectrum Analyzers.

Protecting Yourself from Cell Phone Spyware and Bugging

Millions of dollars worth of eavesdropping devices and equipment are imported into the US each year and it continues.  Our responsibility is to educate people.  A spy does intelligence gathering for a reason and it usually isn’t good for the people they are spying on.

• Installing software such as F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus will alert you if your phone is indeed infected with the Trojan software called FlexiSpy, instantly warning you that someone is spying.
• If you believe that your cell phone is already infected with spyware, remove the battery immediately.  Take your phone to a local cell phone store to have the spyware removed.
• Only download anti-spyware software from a trusted website.  Many programs claim to be anti-spyware but may actually be spyware you are unintentionally installing on your cell phone.
• As mentioned earlier, spyware can be installed from your Bluetooth access.  Keep Bluetooth turned off on your cell phone when you are not using it. It will save your battery power but more importantly it will prevent people sending you pictures or text messages containing spyware.
• You can pull out the SIM Card and use it in another phone should you need to send your phone back to the manufacturer for the operating system to be reinstalled.
• Password protect your phone.  Phones are much harder to hack if they are password protected.  This is not full-proof protection.

Third party apps that mimic your pass key can be used as a back door approach into a phone. This data can be used to gain access to your computer, which eventually leads into the business network. Social media apps can also be very dangerous even if they are part of our social media culture.

There are presently businesses collecting information about you and your online habits, for example an easy to make Ning-network such as Inside919. With cell phones starting to replace computers, there isn’t any known perfect, full-proof protection for your cell phone. What works today can be compromised tomorrow.

So you have taken your phone to the local retail agent for a system restore back to the original settings, however, the minute you walk out the door you could be right back to being tracked or compromised again. If you suspect your phone is tampered with again, after it was “supposedly” cleaned. There may be other problems.

We could check your phone to see if there is compromised activity going on and possibly identify the source, or person responsible. We are experts at electronic detection investigation but you will have to call us because we do not give out too many secrets over the Internet.  You never know who else is reading.