Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by waqf 5297 days ago
I've been hearing that story about the FBI remotely activating cellphone microphones for several years now, but do you have a credible source for it?
2 comments

source: http://www.zdnet.com/news/fbi-taps-cell-phone-mic-as-eavesdr...

But the deeper you dig, the spottier the evidence really gets, with people confusing and jumbling a whole variety of facts together. For instance, the zdnet article cites "A BBC article from 2004 reported that intelligence agencies routinely employ the remote-activiation method."

Here's that article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3522137.stm

It mostly seems to be talking about a physically bugged phone, except for the parts about decrypting conversations over the air. And the lasers.

All people have to go on is the words "roving bug" in a court opinion which has somehow morphed into "all phones contain SMS activated spy microphones."

Yes.

Any briefing involving a secure area will mention that phones can be triggered this way, and that your customer (military, intel, DoD, or DOE) forbids their access for the very reason.

Are such briefings classified, or is there some chance of a citable reference?
I wouldn't be at liberty to comment either way. Talk to your friendly, neighborhood defense contractor.