Is there wiretapping on your phone? Extraneous noise or echo during a call

Gaining access to a cell phone to listen to it is actually not that difficult. However, there are ways to prevent invasion of your privacy.

Each of us has a cell phone. When last time Have you ever left home without a mobile phone? Surely it was an accident. It's no secret that we use phones very often; we actually already depend on them and their capabilities.

We're not trying to scare you, but do you know how easy it is to access them from outside? If someone wants to listen to your conversations, read SMS messages and track you using GPS, they will do it.

There are many reasons why a person wants to eavesdrop on someone else's telephone conversation. This could be a nosy boss, a jealous spouse, a burglar, or a telephone bully.

It's illegal to spy on someone's phone without the owner's permission, but it happens. This doesn't necessarily happen to you, but if you suspect someone is reading your SMS messages, here are a few for you: useful tips about how to figure out the villain.

Battery temperature

One of the likely indicators of the presence of wiretapping is the battery. Feel your phone when you're not using it - if it feels warm or even hot, it means it's still in use. Keep in mind that heat comes primarily from overuse. The battery can only be hot if the phone has been used for a while.

The phone discharges very quickly

Charge your mobile phone more often than usual - get another sign potential threat. If you haven't been using the gadget more than usual, it is quite possible that your phone was being used by someone without your knowledge. When a mobile phone is tapped, it loses battery power much faster. A tapped cell phone is constantly recording conversations in the room, even if it appears to be lying idle.

You can use the BatteryLife LX or Battery LED iPhone apps to track your battery drain rate.

Note: Mobile phones tend to lose maximum battery level over time. If your phone more than a year, the battery capacity will steadily decrease depending on the intensity of use.

Shutdown delay

When you turn off your phone and notice a lot of lag, the backlight staying on for a long time, or the phone simply refusing to turn off, then it's quite possible that you're on the hook. Always be aware of unusual phone behavior. Although, the problems described may be caused by hardware or software phone.

Strange activity

When your phone is working, does it happen that its backlight suddenly lights up, some applications are installed by themselves, something happens? spontaneous shutdown? Strange behavior could be a sign that someone is controlling the device remotely. By the way, this can also occur due to interference during data transmission.

Background noise

When you are talking, a wiretapped phone may cause interference. Something like echoes, electrical discharges, clicking sounds - these sounds can be caused environment, connection interference... or the fact that someone is listening to you. If you hear a pulsating noise coming from your phone when you're not using it, it could be a serious problem.

Interference

If you use your phone in close proximity to others electronic devices(like a TV) and it creates interference on them, then this may be due to the presence foreign devices in the mobile phone case. In most cases, interference is normal, but if it happens at times when you are not using your phone, then this may well mean that you are “under the hood.”

Become a disinformer

If you suspect that your phone conversation is being listened to or recorded by someone you know, you can try to misinform the spy to confirm this suspicion. Tell someone you trust your “secret” personal information over the phone. If you find out later that others have found out, then the answer may be yes.

Get Help

If you have reason to believe that your mobile phone is being tapped, seek help. The police are also an option, since they have equipment that can be used to check the phone, but you should only go this route if you are absolutely sure that you are being monitored. For example, if information that you once discussed with a reliable business partner was miraculously leaked, and no one else could have known about it.

Conclusion

Still, you shouldn’t suffer from paranoia.

To one degree or another, literally everyone noted the above signs.

The chances of someone being hooked are very low. Most of the problems described above can be explained bad connection, old battery, firmware “glitches” - but there are also signs that are worth paying attention to in any case. If you are a Good Samaritan, then there is a good chance that your phone is clean.

If you want to be safe, then you should lock your phone with a password and keep it with you at all times.

Don’t expect that simply turning off your phone with a button will protect you from wiretapping. The microphone does not turn off, and the location of the device is tracked.

If you are not using it, remove the battery from the compartment to be absolutely sure that you are not being tapped. Moreover, if you simply need to make yourself invisible to billing, you need to remove the battery without first turning off the phone with the button.

8 secret codes for your mobile phone

1) *#06# . Lets find out unique number IMEI of any smartphone, including iPhone.

2) *#21# . Allows you to obtain information about enabled forwarding - calls, messages and other data. Very convenient if you want to check if anyone is spying on you.

3) *#62# . Using this command, you can find out to which number incoming calls are forwarded if the iPhone is turned off or is out of network coverage.

4) ##002# . Disables any call forwarding. This way, only you will accept them.

5) *#30# . Provides incoming caller ID information

6) *#33# . Shows information about blocking of outgoing supported services such as calls, SMS and other data.

7) *#43# . Displays call waiting information.

8) *3001#12345#* . The so-called “James Bond” menu: here is information about the SIM card and signal strength cellular network, there was even room for reception indicators cellular signal. All data, by the way, is promptly updated.

Russia has created a system for intercepting mobile conversations in offices

InfoWatch has developed a system that will allow employers to intercept employee cell phone conversations in the office. With its help it is proposed to combat the leakage of confidential information

Natalia Kasperskaya's InfoWatch company has developed a solution that will allow employers to intercept and analyze the content of employee conversations on their mobile phones. The Kommersant newspaper writes about this with reference to several sources in Russian IT companies and an employee of the Federal mobile operator.

Zecurion CEO Alexey Raevsky, who also heard about the development of this system, explained to the publication that we're talking about oh kinda

"femtocell (equipment for signal amplification cellular communication), which must be installed on the customer’s premises and connected to the network mobile operator, but the voice traffic passing through it will be intercepted, translated into text using speech recognition systems and then analyzed by keywords regarding the transfer of confidential information."

The development of a prototype of this system was confirmed to the publication by Kasperskaya itself. According to her, the manufacturer of the device is a third-party organization; she refused to disclose the partner.

"It is planned that hardware device, installed in the company, will be integrated with the core of the cellular operator's network so that it becomes the trusted base station of the cellular operator. This base station will then intercept voice traffic from mobile phones within its coverage area.”

She told.

- Kasperskaya added. She assured that in this case, calls from other SIM cards belonging to employees or clients and partners coming to the company’s office “will be rejected by the device and redirected to standard base stations of cellular operators.”

And stealing passwords over the Internet. But site users rightly noted that ordinary wiretapping of a mobile phone, better than any hack can reveal confidential and personal information. A password dictated over the phone instantly becomes the property of an attacker if the telephone conversation is overheard. How to find out if your phone is being tapped and protect your mobile phone from being tapped, about this we'll talk in the article.

But, before moving on to a review of methods and programs for protection against wiretapping, let’s discuss what methods exist for wiretapping mobile phones. There are several of them:

• GSM wiretapping at a distance using special equipment. Located not far from you passive system interception of GSM airwaves. At the moment of a call or connection to the network, the signal is intercepted, decoded, and then redirected to base station. As a result of such an intrusion, you can not only listen to a telephone conversation, but also find out IMEI, IMSI, TMSI identifiers, and your SIM card number. Subsequently, this information can be used to make phone calls on your behalf, fake a SIM card, gain access to payment systems, and much more. The only reassuring thing is that the cost of spy equipment is quite high and many criminals cannot afford it. But think for a second about those who can afford such technology...
• The second method: installing a program to listen to your phone on your smartphone without your knowledge. It is enough to leave the device unattended for a few minutes and you can install a special application on your phone to listen to calls, which will also allow you to track your phone using GPS and intercept SMS messages, will provide access to the microphone and camera of your smartphone. Horrible if you think about it!

Well, let's not scare you by mentioning GSM bugs and directional microphones. Let's list the main signs of phone tapping and move on to programs that will help you find out whether your phone is bugged and protect it.

Signs of phone wiretapping (how to find out that the phone is being tapped)

So, here are the main signs that your phone is hooked. If your phone gets warm in standby mode, it means background application is running and it is likely that it could be an eavesdropping application. Is your battery draining quickly? Same sure sign hidden smartphone activity. A delay when turning off and on may indicate the operation of illegal programs. Background noise, echoes and interference while talking on the phone are all also signs of wiretapping. But even if you know all the signs, it will be very difficult to find out that the phone is being tapped. They will help us with this special programs anti-spies.

Programs for protection against wiretapping

Program for Android platforms will protect you from connecting to suspicious, fake base stations or stations without traffic encryption, which we wrote about in the first part of the article. The application is open source, constantly updated and

Just like IMSI-Catcher notifies you about IMSI traps (fake base stations) and the transmission of unencrypted traffic. Unfortunately, it only works on Osmocom phones, which no one has been using for a long time.

Used to detect and alert suspicious activity in mobile network, such as Silent SMS, lack of authenticity of encryption algorithms and signals from the telecom operator. Supports GSM and 3G networks.

Controls which of the applications installed on the smartphone have access to the video camera and microphone and prohibits access of unwanted software to camera functions. Prohibits base station spoofing, checks station signature and can even show you station locations.

As you can see, protection against wiretapping is possible by installing special applications to mobile. We hope these measures will help protect your mobile phone from eavesdropping and you will not need a special cryptophone with voice data encryption.

IN recent years we have witnessed many scandals related to wiretapping and illegal collection of personal information by intelligence services. Even the sensational story of Edward Snowden is only a small part of the mosaic that shows large-scale government interference in private life. Tracking phone calls, monitoring online correspondence, intercepting SMS, searching for a phone via satellite, hacking social networks and other actions are actively used against citizens.

And it’s not so important that all this is covered up with noble motives “for your own safety.” The truth is that information obtained illegally can be used in any way in the future.

Unfortunately, government surveillance is the lesser evil of other security threats associated with personal information. There are also various kinds of hackers, terrorists, scammers and other criminals. As well as business competitors, unscrupulous partners or simply ill-wishers who can use programs to record calls and other tracking tools against us.

All of the above raises the question: “How to preserve the important confidential information?. One answer could be . By providing reliable and secure communication, you can minimize the risk of illegal intrusion into your life.

Why is it worth buying a wiretapping-protected phone?

IN modern world we use daily various means communications for information transfer. However, only a few users know that more than 80% of all devices are protected using software, relatively easy to hack. As a result, more and more often people who care about the safety of information are trying to buy a special cryptophone. In Moscow you can find several interesting options for such devices that use reliable encryption mechanisms.

What threats does a mobile phone protected from illegal wiretapping prevent?

It is in order to be guaranteed to avoid these problems that you should buy a crypto phone. Cost of loss important information or its falling into the hands of criminals sometimes turns out to be too great.

What can a modern crypto phone do?

Currently, you can buy a cryptophone in Moscow at a price that is comparable to the cost of a good mobile phone. At the same time, some secure phones can have the same functionality as a regular mobile phone. The only difference is that the device will encrypt all data, making it inaccessible to eavesdropping using special keys. And also that communication is often carried out not via GSM, but via the Internet (VoiP telephony).

The second option is to purchase a communication device from which you can only call a similar phone. Buying a similar cryptophone in Moscow is also not difficult; some models can be found on the Internet. Of course, here the user already receives a phone with limited functionality, but with high degree protection from eavesdropping. There are models capable of generating one-time encryption keys, which are immediately deleted from the phone after a conversation.

The third option is a cryptophone scrambler. Or, more simply put, regular phone with an installed scrambler that encrypts conversations. Here, too, as a rule, a secure line is created only for communication with a subscriber who has a scrambler with a similar encryption mechanism. That is, telephone set has limited functionality.

Anti-tapping protection for iPhone

To wiretap an iPhone, special spyware is usually secretly installed on the mobile phone. Such a program works secretly, without revealing itself in any way. At the same time, the application can transmit “outside” a huge amount of information: incoming and outgoing calls, SMS correspondence, the subscriber’s current location, etc. Moreover, through the microphone in the phone, which is used as a “bug,” it is possible to listen to the surrounding space.

How to protect yourself from such a situation? If you are hesitant to buy a cryptophone (you’re not happy with the price or something else), then you can try to protect the iPhone itself as much as possible. For this it can be used as software protection your iPhone from wiretapping and hardware.

Software protection

Here we are talking about special anti-spyware applications that prevent unauthorized interception of your information. This “anti-wiretapping” device is installed on the iPhone and monitors the phone’s operation. It can not only detect spyware, but also interfere with their activities.

Hardware protection

This special devices– “bug detectors” that detect hidden Internet connections, characteristic of “spyware”. Such detectors help detect the very fact of wiretapping. To counteract spy activity“anti-wiretapping” is used. These are devices that not only detect unauthorized phone activity, but also automatically mute the microphone.

The most obvious way is official wiretapping by the state.

In many countries of the world telephone companies are required to provide access to listening lines telephone channels for the competent authorities. For example, in Russia in practice this is carried out technically through the SORM system technical means to ensure the functions of operational-search activities.

Each operator is required to install an integrated SORM module on its PBX.

If a telecom operator has not installed equipment on its PBX to wiretap the phones of all users, its license in Russia will be revoked. Similar programs total wiretapping operates in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, the USA, Great Britain (Interception Modernization Program, Tempora) and other countries.

The corruption of government officials and intelligence officers is well known to everyone. If they have access to the system in "god mode", then for the right price you can have it too. As in everyone state systems, in the Russian SORM there is a big mess and typical Russian carelessness. Most technical specialists actually have very low qualifications, which makes it possible to unauthorizedly connect to the system unnoticed by the intelligence services themselves.

Telecom operators do not control when and which subscribers are listened to on SORM lines. The operator does not check in any way whether there is a court sanction to wiretap a particular user.

“You take a certain criminal case about the investigation of an organized criminal group, in which 10 numbers are listed. You need to listen to a person who has nothing to do with this investigation. You just get this number and say that you have operational information that this is the number of one of the leaders of the criminal group,” they say knowledgeable people from the website "Agentura.ru".

Thus, through SORM you can listen to anyone on “legal” grounds. This is such a secure connection.

2. Wiretapping through an operator

Cellular operators generally, without any problems, look at the call list and movement history of a mobile phone, which is registered in various base stations in its own way. physical location. To obtain call records, like the intelligence services, the operator needs to connect to the SORM system.

There is little point for Russian law enforcement agencies to install Trojans, unless they need the ability to activate the smartphone’s microphone and record, even if the user is not talking on the mobile phone. In other cases, SORM does an excellent job of wiretapping. Therefore, Russian intelligence services are not very active in introducing Trojans. But for unofficial use it is a favorite hacking tool.

Wives spy on their husbands, businessmen study the activities of competitors. In Russia, Trojan software is widely used for wiretapping by private clients.

A Trojan is installed on a smartphone in various ways: via fake software update, through email with a fake application, through a vulnerability in Android or in popular software like iTunes.

New vulnerabilities in programs are found literally every day, and then they are closed very slowly. For example, the FinFisher Trojan was installed through a vulnerability in iTunes, which Apple did not close from 2008 to 2011. Through this hole, it was possible to install any software on behalf of Apple on the victim’s computer.

It is possible that such a Trojan is already installed on your smartphone. Have you ever thought that your smartphone battery is in lately Does it discharge a little faster than it should?

6. Application update

Instead of installing a special spy Trojan, an attacker can do an even smarter thing: choose an application that you voluntarily install on your smartphone, after which you give it full authority to access phone calls, record conversations and transfer data to a remote server.

For example, it could be a popular game that is distributed through “left” directories mobile applications. At first glance, normal game, but with the function of wiretapping and recording conversations. Very convenient. The user manually allows the program to access the Internet, where it sends files with recorded conversations.

Alternatively, malicious application functionality may be added as an update.

7. Fake base station

The fake base station has more strong signal than real BS. Due to this, it intercepts subscriber traffic and allows you to manipulate data on the phone. Fake base stations are known to be widely used by law enforcement agencies abroad.

In the USA, a model of fake BS called StingRay is popular.

And it's not just law enforcement agencies that use such devices. For example, merchants in China often use fake BS to mass mailing spam to mobile phones that are located within a radius of hundreds of meters around. In general, in China the production of “fake honeycombs” has been ramped up, so in local stores it is not a problem to find a similar device assembled literally on your knees.

8. Hacking a femtocell

Recently, some companies have been using femtocells - low-power miniature cellular stations that intercept traffic from mobile phones within range. Such a femtocell allows you to record calls from all company employees before redirecting the calls to the base station of cellular operators.

Accordingly, to wiretap a subscriber, you need to install your own femtocell or hack the operator’s original femtocell.

9. Mobile complex for remote wiretapping

IN in this case The radio antenna is installed close to the subscriber (operates at a distance of up to 500 meters). A directional antenna connected to the computer intercepts all phone signals, and when the work is completed, it is simply taken away.

Unlike a fake femtocell or Trojan, here the attacker does not have to worry about getting into the site and installing a femtocell, and then removing it (or removing the Trojan without leaving any traces of hacking).

The capabilities of modern PCs are enough to record a GSM signal on large quantities frequencies, and then crack the encryption using rainbow tables (here is a description of the technique from a well-known expert in this field, Carsten Nohl).

If you voluntarily carry a universal bug with you, you automatically collect an extensive dossier on yourself. The only question is who will need this dossier. But if he needs it, he can get it without much difficulty.

During a period of rapid development information technology Many people are wondering how to check their phone for wiretapping. WITH active use computer equipment, smartphones and the Internet are creating different spy apps and programs that can damage office equipment and communication devices. But there are certain signs that you should pay close attention to. There are methods that make it easy to independently check whether the phone is wiretapped. Let us consider in detail in our article how to eliminate “strange” interference and in which case you will need the help of specialists.

How to detect wiretapping on your phone

The phenomenon of wiretapping a mobile phone has its own unique characteristics by which it can be identified. Getting access to another person's phone is quite simple. If you suspect that your own device is being tapped, then do not hesitate and urgently send it for diagnostics.

Detectives and telecommunications specialists know exactly how to check a phone for wiretapping, but first try doing it yourself so as not to waste money on company services. Of course, such diagnostics cannot guarantee an absolute result, but the presence foreign network will probably be discovered.

The main signs of attachment to a listening device

To check your phone for wiretapping, you need to remember the basic signs of interaction with a listening device. Many of them can also be found on regular faulty devices. Make sure this is not your case.

1. The battery drains quickly. Of course, this is not always an accurate indicator, because it is also inherent in devices on which many applications and games are installed. But it’s a completely different matter when the phone can be in the wrong hands, disappear from the field of view of its owner (at night you cannot control) and there is no running programs. If, in a calm state, a mobile device is discharged in just an hour or two, then this is a clear signal that there is wiretapping on it.

2. The device turns off spontaneously, reboots or turns on the backlight. If everything listed problems not associated with disruptions in the operation of the operating room Android systems or iOS, then there is a high probability that interference is being created on the side. Remember that when the phone is still tapped, nothing new or unnecessary is displayed on the screen, but during operation periodic failures may occur.

3. During a conversation you can constantly hear extraneous sounds. The presence of other connected networks prevents the subscriber from reaching another number - this takes many times longer than without wiretapping. If during a telephone conversation there is minor interference and a noticeable echo of both voices, this means that a special listening program is being connected. It happens when a subscriber hears only himself, and not his interlocutor. Cell phones interfere with radio, TV, and stereo systems. Even when turned off, the phone may make noise when approaching any other devices.

4. After replenishing the account, an impressive amount of funds was written off for no reason. If such a problem is detected, you must call the operator at hotline to clarify the circumstances or go to your Personal account on the Internet and look at “Fund Expense” If there is no error, then we can assume that along with the balance, information about calls and messages was sent to the listening program.

If you suspect the operation of eavesdropping systems, it is recommended to contact a service that removes bugs and other special programs, or change your gadget.

Don’t forget that you can install wiretapping on every phone, regardless of its cost or year of manufacture. Of course, the very first push-button models succumb to this only after installing bugs, and not using a network or the Internet, since they do not have operating systems, but even these cases are cause for concern.

Is it possible to buy a wiretapping bug?

Previously, only people had access to spy equipment law enforcement agencies, as well as install it on the required number only special services could. Today, with the development of Internet technology, a bug can be inexpensively purchased online. This small program for wiretapping cell phone, is able to work for you and to suit your needs. However, there is one big problem: in order to install the application, access to someone else's device is required. Advantage - it works on all brands, even very outdated ones. This will inform you about calls and text messages.

It must be said that the price of a quality product is relatively high - several tens of thousands of rubles, for this reason, the wiretapping bug is not used so often. In addition, there are more advanced remote methods that involve remote connection to the cellular network operator and the implementation of special applications on program level. Our service sells similar equipment for household use.

Wiretapping at a distance

The most popular method among users. There is no need to look for the moment when a person leaves the phone unattended, to deal with spyware installations, and through services you can manage it anonymously. Absolutely everyone is at risk modern devices, and given that they are used by all age categories of citizens, any person can be brought under control. When the smartphone is active, it creates very little interference that is unnoticeable, the battery does not drain, everything works fine. normal mode, as a result, you can listen to other people's conversations from a distance and read the other subscriber without the danger of being detected.

To eliminate the possibility of eavesdropping mobile device A few tips from experts will help you at a distance:

• Do not transmit confidential information over the phone
• for carrying out business negotiations don't use cell phone
• a conversation conducted in a moving car is much more difficult to listen to due to noise and frequency changes
• there is no need to take risks and trust phone repair to an unfamiliar company with a dubious reputation

How to listen to your wife's phone without installing programs

The same question is asked by women who want to test their husband. Today all communication is built through mobile communications, which means it is the basis of a channel of reliable information. If you do not have the opportunity to check your wife or husband's phone number, then choose remote methods connections, alas, are only possible with the help of specialists. However, they do not require searching and installing programs, which is fraught both for you and for someone else’s phone. You can download a program riddled with viruses and lose your personal data, but for another person the harm can be even more global - theft of passwords and all documents downloaded on the smartphone. IN best case scenario, there will be a stupid toy informing that the subscriber is online or busy without indicating or providing telephone conversations spouses. The service of wiretapping your wife's (husband's) phone will help in case of divorce to convict your other half of betrayal.

In order to wiretap someone else's phone, you just need to send us mobile number, no other information is required. After testing the device, our company will connect the controlled number on the server to a duplicate channel, from where the information will “go” to you. The service is paid for once and is valid for an indefinite period. The entire device will be under control, for example, if the smartphone is dual-SIM, then information is collected from all numbers connected to this phone.

Knowing how to check your phone for wiretapping, you don’t have to fear for the integrity and safety of the device, as well as for yourself. At the first “bell”, you must immediately contact repair shops that will carry out diagnostics. If wiretapping is installed remotely, they will not help. You need to look for specialists who, through requests from the provider’s server, will be able to create a channel for duplicating your conversations and SMS messages. Send your orders to us via the feedback form.

What is included in the package of services for monitoring other people's conversations:

• Copying all data from the monitored device
• Recording incoming and outgoing calls
• Detailed information about subscribers
• Online registration for everyone telephone conversations
• Audio files - conversations in MP3 format with the ability to download to your computer
• SMS message details
• Determining the location of the device on the map
• Listening to your surroundings
• Manage applications, files and folders