Signs of Sophisticated Cellphone Spying Found Near White House, US Officials Say (washingtonpost.com) 85
A federal study found signs that surveillance devices for intercepting cellphone calls and texts were operating near the White House and other sensitive locations in the Washington area last year. From a report: A Department of Homeland Security program discovered evidence of the surveillance devices, called IMSI catchers, as part of federal testing last year, according to a letter from DHS to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) on May 22. The letter didn't specify what entity operated the devices and left open the possibility that there could be alternative explanations for the suspicious cellular signals collected by the federal testing program last year. The discovery bolsters years of independent research suggesting that foreign intelligence agencies use sophisticated interception technology to spy on officials working within the hub of federal power in the nation's capital. Experts in surveillance technology say that IMSI catchers -- sometimes known by one popular brand name, StingRay -- are a standard part of the tool kit for many foreign intelligence services, including for such geopolitical rivals as Russia and China.
Re: Why would Russia need to spy? (Score:2, Insightful)
To check what is telling other people?
Of course, given the President's willingness to a) speak on unsecured lines and b) piss off everyone except the Russians on any given day I would expect a list of possible countries who do this to match the membership list of the UN.
Re: (Score:1)
What a waste of resources (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
"What a waste of resources. You can just follow the main troublemaker on twitter."
Sure, but you can follow his movements, interesting for lobbyists, 'friends', snipers, ....
Re: (Score:1, Troll)
Re: What a waste of resources (Score:1)
Toilet for cheeseburgers
Whatever you say.
amazing (Score:1)
It would be amazing if they weren't there....
How the hell is this news???
Can we have some tech info that isn't an ad
Pretty Please
Re: (Score:3)
Otherwise known as "Stingrays".
Yes, I'm not surprised. I'm only surprised that other people seem to be surprised. The local TV news even reported this weeks ago: https://news.slashdot.org/stor... [slashdot.org]
Re: (Score:3)
It is certainly one group of feds spying on another.
No, I expect it's every single spy agency of every single country in the world. I'd be surprised if other countries don't do it.
...but come to think of it, I bet the if you don't care who listens to your conversations, Washington DC probably has the best cell coverage in the world, what with all the intercepting cell towers out there in addition to the legit ones.
Re:It's the FBI (Score:5, Informative)
It is plausible that British GCHQ is operating these while NSA looks the other way. Historically that's how they've gotten around laws prohibiting spying on US citizens.
Re: (Score:1)
That was quaint. Back when there were laws against this kind of thing being enforced.
Even with 3 (or 5) eyes running, Hoover spied on all people in power, to say nothing of regular people.
Re: (Score:2)
Again, all people in power that matter must undergo security clearance investigations where ALL the skeletons are volunteered. That's why it's so abhorrent that partisan hacks have been placed at the top of those agencies to subvert democracy.
Re: (Score:2)
It's way beyond that. Anybody with security clearance didn't volunteer anything too bad.
Family members and powerful people outside government etc are also spied on.
China's spies should be fired if they aren't (Score:3)
If the spy agencies of China, Russia, India, etc AREN'T doing this, they aren't doing their job. If the heads of their intelligence agencies have neglected to do this, they should be fired.
Re: (Score:2)
Fake cell towers broadcast their location, they have to. Only those with local spook cooperation can pull it off.
Mobile, in car. Urban reflections make it easy (Score:2)
Have your ever noticed that when you're downtown, near big buildings, your GPS sometimes goes to shit? That's with nine transmitters TRYING to help you with location, constantly broadcasting signals specifically designed for location information. Triangulation in an urban environment is a bitch because radio signals bounce between buildings and bridges and such, so the same signal comes from five different directions.
Put a transmitter in a car in Washington traffic and it becomes almost impossible.
If you'r
Re: (Score:2)
No, I expect it's every single spy agency of every single country in the world. I'd be surprised if other countries don't do it.
Given someone's love of using burner phoes to pillow talk with his propaganda minister Sean Hannity, and to others, it isn't a big surprise.
I mean, other countries are going to do this sort of thing anyhow, but cheap easy access? Like taking candy form a baby.
Re: (Score:2)
why does this story keep getting posted? (Score:5, Informative)
https://news.slashdot.org/story/18/04/03/192200/us-suspects-listening-devices-in-washington [slashdot.org]
https://news.slashdot.org/story/18/05/19/1813208/40-cellphone-tracking-devices-discovered-throughout-washington [slashdot.org]
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/17/03/18/2312217/cbs-reports-suspicious-cell-phone-tower-activity-in-washington-dc [slashdot.org]
https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/14/09/02/2315215/mysterious-phony-cell-towers-found-throughout-us [slashdot.org]
And why the fuck can't the same tags be used for the same story?
Re: (Score:2)
But, but where would muh cliks come from?
Sigh. (Score:3)
That's not a problem.
Nobody would be stupid enough to talk about anything important to national security on an unsecured cellphone, right?
Re: (Score:1)
You mean the "Classified" data that was only classified AFTER it was found? And buried in a long email chain that she was COPIED on. And not properly tagged as secret or classified?
Re: (Score:2)
They were/are overconfident.
See the text message exchange between the (feds/lovers) working on the Clinton (investigation/cover up). They would never have exchanged those texts, if they knew they'd see the light of day.
Now they have to get honest jobs (not really, they'll have work telling libs what they want to hear forever).
This whole thing will produce one good outcome. Serous information security in politics. Next time, Russian hackers won't even be plausible. Internal leaker will be the only ans
Since the unsecured email server was shut down... (Score:1)
Thanks Hillary.. now the FBI/NSA/CIA/Fusion GPS have switched over to cellular data...
It certainly casts Trump's refusal... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Well, to be fair, using an unsecured phone to tweet with is, well, not a big deal.
You know the Twitter is public, right?
Re: (Score:2)
It is? But that one judge told Trump he wasn't allowed to block people because it limited their access to official presidential communications. Are you saying those people that are blocked were still free to see Trump's tweets?
Yes, they were free to see his tweets. All they had to do is log out or open a browser window in private/incognito mode. It's not difficult.
Re: (Score:1)
So you do understand why we all laugh at you when you freakout? It's just good fun infuriating pieces of shit.
Re: (Score:2)
Election of Trump, soon Hillary going to prison.
Also every 8chan troll.
Re: It certainly casts Trump's refusal... (Score:1)
Twitter is a problem (Score:2, Interesting)
Just imagine what an adversory with access to Trumps Twitter account tweeting in his name could do eg. when there’s a situation bordering an armed conflict.
Or to trouble stock markets.
OTOH: maybe that’s already happening.
Re: (Score:2, Troll)
He uses an unsecure phone for Twitter, not phone calls. The stuff he types into that phone is public knowledge.
The issue is that he's carrying around an unsecure device that has GPS, a microphone, and a camera, and those items can turn it into a surveillance tool if the phone is hacked. That is a legit concern, but as long as he's not using it for phone calls at least the attack surface is smaller.
Re: (Score:2)
Interesting how a purely factual post is modded "troll". TDS must be painful.
Re: (Score:1)
Not really.
1: it was already assumed that there were illicit ISM catchers in embassies. I've heard security experts basically say someone is failing the intelligence portion of their mission if they aren't doing this.
2: it is already known that there were illicit ISM catchers in embassies in the DC area for a while now, but since we can only focus on one story for one news cycle we've forgotten about it until someone new reports on it a few months later.
Amusing (Score:3)
I love how this is only an issue when the folks in charge are being spied upon by the very tech they're using to spy on the rest of us :|
Though, to be honest, it's a good thing.
Perhaps we'll see some changes as to how the phones determine what towers they will / will not connect with vs blindly connecting to any of them.
I'm shocked (Score:3)
Re: (Score:3)
There are a few embassies around the White House I wouldn't think you would need to be within their fences in order to take care of the problem.
Re: (Score:2)
You do realise that around half the population loves a bit of cunt? It's not really an insult.
End to End Encryption is your Friend (Score:1)
Pot meet kettle (Score:2)
If you don't like it then stop doing it to others.