Cell phone spy indicator

I was recently reading how cell phones can be used to listen in on private conversations while the phone is off and the only way to maybe avoid this is to remove the battery (if the internal clock battery is not used as power to capture audio). I spoke to a local shop that said they were aware of this but could not tell if a phone was 'bugged' and that some of their customers requested that the microphone be cut out so that only sms messaging could be used to communicate. I bought a used phone and I was curious about this so I was wandering if their were a way to determine if the phone is firmware bugged. The only way I could think of is to attach an analog VU meter to the microphone to monitor audio activity while the phone is off. It could also be done with a simple resistor preamp LED circuit that lets the LED blink when audio activity is present on the microphone and the phone is off.

I once saw a website offering a firmware hacked Nokia offered by an Italian company so one could spy on their partner/spouse. I find this ridiculously paranoid.

Would this work and could someone suggest a circuit diagram?

Maybe it could even be connected to the hands-free socket and used as an external monitor without opening the phone up.

It's not likely you'll be able to produce anything small enough to be practical for use in a mobile phone. The best solution I've come across to date requires that you own a very specific type of phone. A gentleman concerned with privacy cut one lead to the microphone and wired it to a read switch. His particular clamshell style phone used a hall effect sensor and a magnet to determine whether the phone was open or closed. In his case when the phone was open the reed switch would close allowing the mic to function as normal.

So what keeps them from just hacking into the GPS system on your phone and using that to just follow you around with a directional microphone in order to pick up on what your saying?

In this context? Nothing. Unless you're fairly adept at evasion, if someone wants you they're probably going to get you. Lets face it, if you were you wouldn't be asking. If anyone is really that concerned the advice is to not carry a cell phone or other similar device or perhaps keep it enclosed in a metal box until you're ready to use it. When you're finished.....RUN!!!

If someone wants to GPS track my phone they can have at it. I figure 99% of the time it lays in my truck so they will always know where the truck is. Cool with me.

On a more serious note I work in a secured area where the use or mere carry of a cell phone is strictly prohibited. Years ago it was known a cell phone could be turned into a monitoring device. Frequently when we have approved visitors they are surprised when we ask them to surrender their cell phones and any electronic media/devices at the gate.

A simple Google of cell phone activation as listening device will bring up countless hits.

Ron

Just look at your cell phone bill every month, all the calls are on there, it'll show up plain as day, there's no way to hide that it's logged traffic from the provider. Generally speaking the only people that should worry are those that have something to hide.

Keep in mind in the US at least doing something like that to someone elses phone without their consent could be breaking state and federal laws and could be legal grounds for felony prosecution. For examples if the spouse was stupid enough to confront you with it directly rather than feed the information to a private investigator that would be able to provide legal sources of the information any information they obtains from the use of a cell bug like that could be used against them for felony wiretapping violations, not 100% sure on the legalities.

Even if the phone is legally in their name if you're using it and they know that it violates wiretapping laws I think. Never looked too far into it though. Don't care to, not really worried about it myself. If you find yourself suddenly in a situation which for some obscure reason requires absolute 100% garunteed protection from a cell phone, wrap it several times in a sheet of tin foil making suring you curl the edges to be overlapping and press them firmly. 100% cell phone signal proof.

If you find yourself suddenly in a situation which for some obscure reason requires absolute 100% garunteed protection from a cell phone, wrap it several times in a sheet of tin foil making suring you curl the edges to be overlapping and press them firmly. 100% cell phone signal proof.

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Electrical question: If you also wear a tin foil hat should the foil wrapped cell phone and the foil hat share the same common?

Actually there was a case up here in the Cleveland, Ohio US area maybe 5/6 months ago where a jealous former boyfriend loaded a program on his girlfriends cell phone to spy on her. He also tried to set up a key logger spy program on her PC. He emailed the worm to her web mail account which she opened at work (Cleveland Clinic) and she unknowingly forwarded that infected email to a few fellow workers. It wasn't untill the hospital upgraded their anti virus and malware protection that the file showed up. That led to the phone showing up once things became unraveled. The guy is in big trouble at the state and federal levels. Yes, there are laws about that.

My old cell phone bill reflected all incoming and outgoing calls but the new Verizon plan doesn't, at least I don't think it does as the wife sees to paying the bills. I'll have to check on that.

Ron

The problem is bluetooth enabled phones, I saw it on a documentary. They connect to your phone through bluetooth, depending on phone this may be possible even when the phone looks "off", then using bluetooth they command your phone to dial their phone, which is just a normal call but it doesn't make much of a sound so you don't know that your phone has dialed out.

Then if your phone has a good mic it is happily transmitting all the room sound to their phone. Maybe even pics if your phone can send pics under bluetooth control.

If your phone doesn't have bluetooth etc then they can't do it. So older phones are safe unless they are physically modified.

Assumption is the mother of all Fck-ups......(remember WMD?)

jimlovell777 said:

Lets face it, if you were you wouldn't be asking

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This is a false assumption. All technology eventually ends up being used by criminals and control freaks of all types. Open source is the answer to these issues. That is why open sources is becoming more popular each year. Firefox over Internet Explorer? need I say more?

If you have any doubts about what are the consequences of hidden technology have a look at this videoRIVACY IS DEAD - GET OVER IT

YouTube - PRIVACY IS DEAD - GET OVER IT Pt 01, with Steve Rambam.

ReloadRon: I was trying to avoid that reference =) The difference between a tinfoil hat and a tinfoil envelope around a cell phone is one is actually practically useful for something. I'll let you decide which.

The tinfoil hat is old school tech that the aliens and government spooks where able to engineer around years ago. Now instead of blocking your brain waves from mind control its helping the new mind control tech do its very thing its intended to do!

I hear Mu-metal foil hats are the new anti mind control /anti thought reading tech to use.

Any one want some purple Coolade?

Sceadwian said:

ReloadRon: I was trying to avoid that reference =) The difference between a tinfoil hat and a tinfoil envelope around a cell phone is one is actually practically useful for something. I'll let you decide which.

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Hmmm, I'll give it a test. Tomorrow I'll wrap the cell phone in tin foil and see if it works.

I would give it a test now but it is cold out there and the cell is lying in the truck.

Ron

After the test tomorrow if the cell doesn't work it's your fault for leaving it in the truck =P
Their tolerance to temperature changes at operating conditions aren't that low. A cell phone closed and in standby is in 'operating mode'. Your local weather conditions are 13 degrees C =O