Detecting Mobile Phone Spy Software

I get a lot of calls and questions from people concerned their cell phone might have some type of spy software on it enabling someone else to listen in on their calls. Working in the telecommunications business for almost eight years gives me some background to speak to this topic.

First, in today's environment there are many more spyware devices than one might think, thus we have to take a broader look at protecting our conversations. If you're wanting a private and/or secret conversation, you should first consider meeting the person face to face. This eliminates the phone, internet voice, etc., tapping problems. This does not however, remove the possibility that someone could place a remote bug on you, the other person, of within the confines of where you meet. This also leaves the possibility open to remote microphone surveillance. How far to do you want to go to protect your conversation?

Use good common sense. If possible, meet the person directly to exchange your top secret information. Make sure you are in a location that is tap free. The middle of the desert is an excellent location, but not always convenient. To ensure no one has a parabolic microphone on you, make sure there's no coverage in the immediate area. High gain microphones with a dish can hear up to 300 yards away. If you're extremely concerned, you can use an audio jammer (similar to a white noise generator), which helps cover up your conversation so that anyone attempting to eavesdrop with a remote/laser mic will only pick up the white noise.

If a remote meeting point is not available, and you must use the phone, there are several options to help. Follow the above steps to prevent a bug or remote mic. Hardwired phones become such an easy target because of their fixed location. While two parties can use a scrambling device to prevent tapping, a simple wireless bug placed in the microphone of the phone would transmit your entire conversation quite easily.

This is where we turn to the cell phone. It's mobile and thus you can take your conversation to a remote area where a wireless bug would be unlikely to be found. The wireless transmission of the conversation is quite secure. However, could your cell phone be bugged? Absolutely! However, there are some things to consider and think about. Generally speaking, someone wanting to tap your cell phone will need to install spyware on it first. This is usually done by taking the phone and manually installing the software on it (which might take a few minutes). However, they could also send you a link via a text message, and by clicking on it, this would install the software. So, take precautionary steps to protect your phone. Don't ever let it out of you sight, and don't just click on links sent to you via text message or e-mail.

IF spyware is installed on your phone, you might notice some erratic or strange behavior. If the battery runs low early in the day, or you notice it lighting up or receiving random text messages, these COULD be signs of spyware. However, they could also mean your phone is old and just having problems. The larger question, and purpose of this article, is WHAT TO DO if you think your PHONE has SPYWARE? Since there are so many varieties there are currently few options to detect spyware on your phone. At the time of this writing, SPYBOT has a mobile version of their Search and Destroy spyware, however, upon our testing on a Windows Mobile device, it was not working correctly. Thus, we recommend taking your phone into your local dealer and requesting they backup your contacts, and then completely wipe the device of its memory. They should be able to restore your contacts and bring your phone back to normal operation without much hassle. However, you will lose all of your programs and software you have installed on your phone. So, you can choose to re-install those or go without.

It's not easy or comforting to know that others have many avenues to intercept your private conversations. If you suspect your phone is tapped, go to the police and let them know. Many areas have technology crime labs and are working to help prevent this type of unauthorized use, however, since it's a relatively new threat, many people are unsure how to deal with it.

Mark Nicholson
Elite Asset Protection - Protecting what matters.
http://www.eaProtection.com



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Mark_I_Nicholson/377703



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Directional microphones, how they can help you

Law enforcement agents and private detectives know very well that, strange as it may seem, the place where a suspect (be it a pusher, a gangster or just an unfaithful wife or husband) feels safe, like his home or office, is often the place where his privacy is more at risk of being exposed, and his conversations are most likely to be eavesdropped.

Often though, the subject is well aware of the risk he is running in his very own home, and takes his protection measures, making any covert operation to plant bugs an extremely risky job. On the contrary, when in open spaces, such as a park for example, he might be more relaxed, and talk about private information which would be vital for an investigation.

It is exactly in situations like these that a parabolic microphone, otherwise called directional microphone, can provide the best results in terms of security and effectiveness. The actual name of this kind of long distance microphones is supercardioid microphone, but they are also called shotgun microphone, because of their shape resembling that of a gun, including the barrel.

Thanks to their extreme sensitivity and the possibility of being operated both by cable and by AAA battery, these directional microphones are suitable for being used both indoors and outdoors. For example, to listen to the conversations of a secret couple hidden in a park, it will be enough to sit inside a car parked behind a fence, then point the shotgun microphone in the right direction, and you will be able to pick up the conversations with extreme clarity.

A directional microphone can also be connected to a digital recorder, to store the information which can later be used before a court of law. In the same fashion, to gather evidence against a local pusher, one can hide inside a nearby apartment, and conceal the parabolic microphone among clothes hanging on a line, in order to be able to gather evidence without raising suspicions.

This kind of microphones is suitable not only for law enforcement and detectives gathering evidence, but also for professional use in the show business, for example while shooting a movie or a TV transmission in open spaces, or indoors in a theatre. There are endless possibilities for usage of a directional microphone, your fantasy is the only limit! Of course, there are several models available on the market, each one with different characteristics of range and power.

http://www.articlesbase.com/electronics-articles/directional-microphones-how-they-can-help-you-1029753.html

Weekend Project: Parabolic Microphone

Here's a an easy to make, dollar store DIY spy microphone that lets you listen from afar and bring the sounds up close. Credit for the original project goes to Jim Lee. From Make Magazine Volume 14.

Parabolic microphone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A parabolic microphone is a microphone that uses a parabolic reflector to collect and focus sound waves onto a receiver, in much the same way that a parabolic antenna (e.g., satellite dish) does with radio waves. Typical uses of this microphone, which has unusually focused front sensitivity and can pick up sounds from many meters away, include nature recording, field audio for sports broadcasting, eavesdropping, law enforcement, and even espionage.

Parabolic microphones are generally not used for standard recording applications because they tend to have poor low-frequency response as a side effect of their design. This is a direct result of the physical laws that govern sound waves.

Parabolas only focus waves with a wavelength much smaller than the diameter of the parabola. Since sound waves travel at 342 m/s through the air (speed of sound), obtaining hi-fidelity sound (down to 20 Hz, the lower limit of human hearing) would require a parabola with a diameter greater than 17 meters (= 342 m/s / 20 Hz). Most parabolic microphones sacrifice low-end fidelity to get a more manageable size.