Are Cell Phones the Next Target?
Everyone these days is finally realizing the need for computer security. Hopefully you have an anti-virus, malware\spyware scanner, personal firewall and keep your computer's operating system updated. If you don't have these tools, spend the money, it will be well worth it. If you need recommendations I would be happy to make them and in some cases it is free.
What's next on the computer security forefront?
That handy little device you carry everywhere you go, your cell phone.
Here are two links to take a look at.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/06/26/cell_hack_geek_spook_stalk/
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/4239e29e-02f2-11da-84e5-00000e2511c8.html
The tools used in the compromise are available to you if you have the $$$$! As it stands today the chances are slim that you will be a target but as phones progress in their sophistication they will become more attractive!
posted by Tom Fennell @ 7:32 PM
44 Comments
Links to this post
44 Comments:
Interesting articles Tom. I saw the Bourne Ultimatum and what they did with the cell phone tracking was pretty amazing and probably not a fiction at all.
Tom, I guess I have a firewall through a wireless router(well Vista says I do)Do I need to purchase one separately? What about Limewire? (ditto)
The average home/office router only prevents your computer from being seen on the Internet until you start an Internet session. There are firewall appliances that also contain configurable software that will protect all the computers within their network segment.
For the average person it is good practice to also have a software firewall on their computer. I wouldn't put too much faith in the firewall included with Microsoft Windows; it only does half the job it should.
This is a pretty good company and they offer a firewall application for $10
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/Home-Home-Office/Sunbelt-Personal-Firewall/
It has two modes, automatic and learning. With the learning mode turned on you need to approve every application that is opening. You would be surprised as to what is going on behind the scenes. It will drive you crazy at first but once it is taught it doesn’t ask again. Another feature is the activity logs, I suggest you turn it on for the first few days. The logs will show all traffic in and out of your system.
The other component to this Tom is securing your wireless router. An unsecured router is what allows the access to your system(s). A secure wireless router will request a KEY CODE to be entered before it will allow a potential user to utilize the internet access. I believe that if persons have a 2 wire router it is very easy to set up, other may be more difficult and may require more software components to installed to protect your system.
Anon 2:07
You’re correct to a point but don’t put too much faith into WEP/WPA encryption protocols. Compromise techniques and tools have existed on the market for quite sometime and once again if you have the money, you can have the tools. Do a non-filtered Google search for “WEP crack” and see how many results are returned. I would strongly suggest not visiting any of the results unless you know your system is tight.
Example:
If you visit the main page for cnn.com, the average person assumes that they are only communicating with one website. In actuality your system is visiting multiple websites to retrieve those third party ads you see all around the page. On July 24th realtor.com was serving up malware\spyware on it’s website through one of these third party ads until it was discovered and shutdown.
The advantage of a good firewall hardware or software is to log all incoming and outgoing activity and reviewing these logs is your best defense.
Wow I'm getting paranoid! I have nothing of intrest,why would they spend the time?
I would ad to also delete any cookies that are not from unwanted or unrecognized websites. This is an easy thing to do from the internet tools tab. Those darn cookies always to get their owners fat with your information with all there probing. Be warned though that if you choose the delete all tab you will loose all your passwords, etc... I also use system cleanup tool to eliminate all those pesky internet temp files.
Anon 7:41
No need for paranoid but a little awareness will go a long way. Your chances of being targeted are very, very slim but it could happen.
Just like it’s a good idea to lock your doors even when you’re at home, the same goes for technology. Just like a good dead-bolt and a barking dog, it’s a deterrent, they will just move along to an easier target.
Tom what do you think of limewire? is it safe?
Limewire is safe as long as you have your system locked down with all the operating system patches, anti-virus, spyware/malware and firewall in place. If you're downloading copyrighted music or movies just remember they know where you are and "who" is just a court order away!
Tom,is the copyright court order thing for personal use? (limewire)
File Sharing: Read this, they explain it in pretty good.
http://digitalmusic.weblogsinc.com/2006/08/07/the-riaa-vs-john-doe-a-laypersons-guide-to-filesharing-lawsui/
Walmart.com sells songs for .89 and Itunes is .99
Defending yourself against an RIAA lawsuit, priceless.
But what are the chances? Don't you think they would go after guys that burn multiple copys?
Thrill Seeker:
You just never know when it's your turn.
http://mp3.about.com/od/isitlegal/a/riaalawsuits.htm
Something else about cell phones:
Another interesting device that I have personally seen work is a "Bluetooth Rifle". You’ve seen those fashionable Star Trek ear pieces that everyone is wearing these days. The earpiece device uses a wireless protocol named Bluetooth. The device allows you to be 30’ from your phone and talk hands free. Did you know that the signal can carry for about a mile depending on line-of-sight? For about $400, you can build your own rifle and yes it can eavesdrop on data transmissions and conversations from quite a distance away.
Once again chances are slim you’ll be a target but it is something that you should be aware of.
Tom;
By chance do you support George W.Bush and his glorified legal easdrooping policies? Patriot Act?
Tom, I wanted to let you know that I downloaded the Sunbelt firewall.
I love the interface and simplicity of the program. It's packed with a lot of good features.
I did have some problems with my network though. I use beinsync server to keep my files synchronized and it didn't seem to be working.
I turned the firewall off and can now share files. I'll do some more testing later to see if I can get it to work.
----
My brother in law works for 20th Century Fox and they take RIAA very seriously and in fact, fund it. I think they've gone overboard prosecuting college kids for downloading music or video. And now, they are venturing into cutting off content to youtube and google video.
Copyright protection has now gone too far. Did you know Happy Birthday can't be sung on TV or video?
SaraLee:
Although the Patriot Act may have started out with the best intentions, I think the temptations have proved to be too much. There have been too many documented cases where the act has been used that had NOTHING to do with terrorists.
The founding fathers of this nation were pretty damn smart when they designed the checks and balances into the structure of government. I’m concerned that the Patriot Act goes against this design.
Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -- Benjamin Franklin
Enough with the quotes; You keeping taking pride in wanting get into people's data bases, listening in on conversations and so on, I find that some what disturbing. I am however against the Patriot Act for many reasons. In factI believe the White House has been issued subpoena's for violating certain privacy acts without warrants. It seems as if you think it's ok by some of your commentaries to legally hacking and finding loop holes (legally speaking) into peoples pc's , cell phones and palm pilots and so on.
You sort of remind me of a wanna-be FBI agent who never made it and eventually became a security officer at Merveyns.
Sara:
Hate to burst your bubble Sara but I prevent these bad things from happening.
Did you happen to catch this article in the Star?
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/aug/20/for-some-people-being-mean-actually-can-be-an/
Tom , I will do some catch up reading this evening on this subject , but in the mean time scroll up and look at some of your comments that you have posted.
Can I have a hint?
Why didnt my screen name pop up on my last post? Did you hack into my notebook? joke! :)
Like I said Tom , I will read this article this evening when I can focus solely on this subject matter, but my main concerns are with your expertise of knowing how to hack into peoples pc's,notebooks, etc and also listening into peoples telephone conversations. To me that is very alarming. Maybe Im just naive on this subject, but Im catching on .
Saralee:
I’m a network administrator and a good portion of that is network security. I need to know these things only so I can try my best to protect against them. If you don’t know how an attack works, you don’t stand a chance of defending against it.
I promise you, that my only intention is to make you aware of the possibilities. My system intrusions are limited to a lab environment and authorized tests.
Computers are not my specialty, sorry.
If there are any eBay/Paypal users out there, here is a nice security feature and for $5.00 it's worth every penny.
https://www.paypal.com/securitykey
I wish my bank would implement this type of authentication.
Tom is it true that you can open a car door with a cell phone remotely?(with two people of course)
The only way I know of is when OnStar is involved but I wouldn't doubt it if there is a kit out there somewhere.
Tom actually I meant when you lock your keys in the car,you call home and have your friend beep the spare key through the phone (in theory this is suppose to work)?
I think that would require the Star Trek Transporter model with the extra bright sparkles.
I thought so,I also think my foil hat is defective,thanks Tom
Re: Foil Hat
Try one of these :)
http://www.stopabductions.com/
I hear they are all rage and just in from Paris.
(I never read far enough into the site to tell if this is a joke or not.)
Tom, why do space Aliens always land in the middle of nowhere,and the only witness is a Hayseed from a jerkwater town?
Foil Hat:
Homemade Grain Alcohol
An excellent source of propulsion and won't be found in large quantities in a major city.
Tom I play alot of mindless mouse clicking games at addicting games.com Is it safe? and just how many clicks can a little mouse take?
Beenie:
I always become suspicious when you are required to download anything to your system in order to interact with any website. Since games.com is associated with AOL then chances are that is safe but a quick review of their terms of service will disclose if they are doing any type of market research in exchange for their “Free” service.
You will get as many mouse-clicks as it takes until it doesn't click anymore.
Tom should I be worried that somebody is keeping tract on everything I do on the Internet?What if its all legal anyway?I'm I just paranoid?
Tom man do I have questions.Whats with all the clicking when I go to a web-page?(real fast clicks)
Paranoid:
Having someone keeping track of your Internet habits is not a big deal as long as you don't care. The only problem I have is sometimes the methods they use for tracking can sometime open security holes that others will take advantage of.
Beenie:
That fast clicking can sometimes be your system processing redirections. If someone has a poll on their website the poll is usually hosted on another website other than the website you are viewing. Depending on how you have your web browser manage cookies that clicking could be your system rejecting the cookies. Look in the lower left hand corner of your browser when you encounter the clicking. You should see a message bar that very quickly explains what the clicking is. If you need to see the messages again just hold the “crtl” key down and the press “F5” to refresh the page.
If you give me an example I can look at it.
Tom I got a virus the other day.My AVG put it in the virus vault.It says it can't be healed.Where does it go if I delete it? Should I just keep it in the Vault?
Beenie:
If you delete the file from quarantine\vault the file is removed from your system, it’s like emptying the Recycling Bin.
If you choose to keep the file in the quarantine\vault then every time your system gets a new definition file it will try and repair the file. “Usually” the file has no other purpose than to cause harm and can’t be repaired. Some AV applications have a setting that after so many days it will give up and just delete the file for you.
Tom are you or Gayle going to have some new material? or check in more often? you must be very busy.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home