Your Cell Phone Can Be Used to Eavesdrop on You - Even When Turned Off! 12/8/2006 - 10,656 views, 9 Comments
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Did you know that your innocent-looking little cell phone can be used to listen in on your regular conversations - conversations which aren’t even taking place on your cellphone but just in the room in which your cell phone is sitting - without you even knowing? Known as a “roving bug”, this technology can be used for eavesdropping even when your mobile phone is turned off! This is no urban legend - in fact the evidence came out in some genuine legal evidence, at the Federal court level just this past week. It turns out that the Feds had been using this method of eavesdropping, which is now known as a “roving bug”, to eavesdrop on some mobsters in a sting of the Genovese family. The defense objected, and this past week the Federal court ruled that the use of the roving bug technology was covered under the federal wiretapping law. “The FBI can access cell phones and modify them remotely without ever having to physically handle them. Any recently manufactured cell phone has a built-in tracking device, which can allow eavesdroppers to pinpoint someone’s location to within just a few feet,” explained counterintelligence security consultant James Atkinson. And to use the cell phone’s microphone as a room bug. It’s all done by sending a piece of software, remotely, to the cell phone - something which can be done without your ever knowing it was sent and installed on your phone. “A cellular telephone can be turned into a microphone and transmitter for the purpose of listening to conversations in the vicinity of the phone,” confirms the U.S. Commerce Department. And because the cell phone can be used in this way even when it is turned off, the only way to disable it is to actually pull the battery out of the cell phone. “If a phone has in fact been modified to act as a bug, the only way to counteract that is to either have a bugsweeper follow you around 24-7, which is not practical, or to peel the battery off the phone,” explained Atkinson. According to Atkinson, high-level executives often remove the battery of their cell phones for this very reason. Makes sense - if the FBI can get the software to spy on you, you can be sure that industry spies can too.
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For additional similar stories check out our archives on Cell Phones, Privacy, Spyware & Adware
Do you provide the Fed Court case number for the people who want to review the case? Thanks
Comment by Arthur Lin — 12/8/2006 @ 9:54 am
This is disturbing news. If the “good guys” can do this you can bet the bad guys can too.
Comment by David L. — 12/8/2006 @ 3:16 pm
No wonder Bush hates us.
Comment by Jesse — 12/8/2006 @ 6:10 pm
I have got a copy of the roving bug on my phone blue-toothed onto it by nefarious people without a life of their own.
Comment by it's for real not just the fbi is doing it — 5/4/2007 @ 2:57 pm
how did you know it was there?
Comment by Lynn — 5/30/2007 @ 10:36 am
It’s a little hard NOT to know that the bug is there.
A cell that normally takes tons of photos is suddenly out of memory.
Your workmate knows verbatim what you said in Sunday School and you know God didn’t tell her….
Comment by Me — 6/23/2007 @ 11:47 am
The only thing left to know now is how to remove this bug and keep it off… anyone?
Comment by Bash — 1/14/2008 @ 4:26 am
lost my cell. how can i get the location
Comment by bhagchandjain — 1/30/2008 @ 9:25 pm
I have know a guy who used his police scanner to ease drop on cell phone conversations. Lets face it cell phone are not a secure form of communications. I do have a Question are wireless phones do they also have security issues.
Comment by Randall — 5/28/2008 @ 8:54 pm