Wiretapping via judicial authority
Telephone tapping, by means of criminal investigation divisions, is one of the most widespread.
Due to the collaboration with telephone service providers, they can easily sneak into your phone conversations and listen to anything that you might be saying at this exact moment. Moreover, they are able to read your SMS text messages, too.
WhatsApp and other kinds of instant messaging software interception
The massive amount of free instant messaging software arising from nowhere has brought criminal investigation departments’ attention to the urgent need to look into messages, voice notes, pictures, video clips, and calls in order to intercept criminals and put them behind bars.
Amongst all, there is one “special” instant messaging software that is being spied on more than any other: WhatsApp.
There is a misconception that the above-stated software is the most secure of all. You couldn’t be more wrong.
Firstly, the legal perspective. Any firm with its headquarters in USA, Canada, Europe, and other countries where legal wiretapping is allowed MUST necessarily hand in telephone records and Internet conversations, calls and messages, to the authorities if required. Furthermore, companies must make all of their tools available to the authorities shouldn’t they be charged with preventing the course of justice.
Secondly, there is the technical perspective. Paradoxically, it is much easier to intercept WhatsApp messages than a common SMS text message. And the flaw is that intercepting a WhatsApp message is as easy as pie. Any “geek” with a certain amount of skills and dedicated software, such as free network sniffers, can do it.
Currently, WhatsApp and other instant messaging software are taking safety measures by encrypting all of their contents. Had they used strong and safe algorithms, they wouldn’t have had to face such crises. But that’s a whole nother story.
How can free instant messaging software produce a profit?
When the service is cost-free, YOU are the product.
No truer words were ever spoken, especially when it comes to instant messaging services.
Nowadays, the authorities pay through the nose every service provider, such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, Skype, etc.
GSM cell phone interception: how does that work?
This is a solution adopted mostly by governmental bodies and authorities, but lately, it has fallen in the wrong hands of organized crime.
GSM interceptors are systems that have the same purpose as common repeaters.
They force every cell phone in the covered range to connect to their own system, therefore preventing cell phones from receiving a signal from the repeater located in the area.
By doing so, one can access any communication passing through such a range. They will show the phone and IMEI numbers for every single phone. It doesn’t matter if the SIM card is registered in someone else’s name or if the phone belongs to Mr. Obama. GSM interceptors will pick up, analyze, and save ANY data passing through their systems.
How can they install spy software on my device and collect my smartphone’s data?
Spy software can either be installed by a close friend, partner, relative, or can be achieved by a remote installation.
In the first case, anyone, who has skills and access to your phone, can do it. It only requires from 10 to 20 minutes to install the software. Otherwise, your partner, with whom you have a deep relationship, may decide to give you a new smartphone, as a birthday present with preconfigured spy features in it. You’ll never know.
While in the last case, remote installation of spy software performed by the authorities, in order to “keep an eye on someone”, can be almost impossible to detect.
Generally, emails from unknown sources with pictures enclosed, if opened, can lead to the auto-installation of a Trojan virus on your device. If you open it, then they’ll be home and dry.
From that point on, every information will be sent in data packages, once logged onto a network, 3G, 4G, or WiFi. The data is sent directly to a server located abroad to that of your snooper’s, in order to not arouse suspicion.
How can I protect myself against all of these means of wiretapping?
The only way to protect yourself from wiretapping is to avail yourself of any software which encrypts your means of communication, such as encrypted phones.
Purchasing the products on our website catalog, no one will ever be able to eavesdrop on you or intercept your instant or simple text messages.
Tips:
- Set a screen lock with a pin number and change it every now and then.
- Never ever leave your phone unattended when out.
- Do not install any social network application on your device.
- Do not configure any email address, leave the one set from us for your phone’s activation.
This is the only secure way to communicate with the speaker on the other end, without your words being intercepted.
We, therefore, care to point out that our purposes are intended for good reasons only. If anyone decides to make bad use of our products, we are not to be held responsible. The purpose is to protect your data and safeguard your privacy.
Wiretapping through bugs
There is also an alternative, better, and less costly solution to telephone and Internet tapping, which is achieved by planting bugs in a sensitive area.
This is how it’s done: practically, it consists of bugging the chosen area with hidden microphones.
The most common hidden microphones transmit in GSM, mostly among private individuals, who can find them at good prices. Moreover, there is no need for any legal authorization to buy a bugging device.
The upside is that it allows you to “listen” to the person you are spying from ANYWHERE in the world.
But the downside is its easier detection, as well as the ability to render it useless by using a simple GSM jammer. Check out this post for further info on GSM, 2G, 3G, and 4G LTE jammers.
The second type of hidden microphone is what we normally call a “radio bug”. The latter uses VHF and UHF frequencies for data transmission. It usually has a distance limit, but the interesting part of it is that it is harder to detect compared to an ordinary GSM bug.
Even though it’s hard to detect a radio bug, it is not impossible. With the help of professional bug detectors and the big deal of technical fieldwork behind it, it is possible to locate it and get rid of it.
Then there is a third kind of hidden microphones. These don’t transmit at all, but simply record every conversation and store the data in an SD card. In this case, given that there is no trace of transmission or whatever, there is no frequency detector or scanner, or jammer in the world capable of jamming these devices.
The only solution would be to purchase a device called “non-linear junction detector“. But the outcome may not be rewarding as one might think, considering that the potential bug may very well be hidden inside another electronic device.
A little piece of advice: try speaking on the phone while moving from one place to another. That’ll pretty much do it. Change alters everything.
