[pritch]

Dmills, on 01 May 2012 - 10:04 PM, said:

GSM is horribly weak,

Quite.

GSM security is largely about protecting the network, and not necessarily about protecting the subscriber. If you create a fake network node, and get it to tell people that it's (for instance) Vodafone, then GSM handsets will happily connect to it.

UMTS (3G) mobiles are a bit less trusting, and rather than just blindly connecting to any old base station will ask for a bit of information about the SIM that
a) changes
b) only the real network and SIM pair could possibly know

[ramdram]

Ref the notion of "spoof" masts or nodes say...if we can suggest it then someone has already done it...

http://nonviolentcon...ts-phone-calls/

Some quite clever bods knocking about...perhaps said clever bods conceived of the social networking wheeze in the very first instance to mine all sorts of info?

If employers are not slow to do a bit of research on a prospective employee, and the police certainly examine the cell phone address books of someone in custody, especially for dealer contacts, then it is pretty certain "other agencies" can do similar but in real time.

Menwith Hill and Echelon (google if arsed) spring to mind. Can't see them being particularly fussed about Wireless and Telegraphy Acts, can you?

We read of various arrangements in the US ref their Homeland Security and Patriot stuff. This stuff was around some time before that (see date), so who can even guess at their remit and techno capabilities nowadays:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/503224.stm

However, if we are to believe the content of certain "spy" films starring Crowe and di Caprio then the "enemy" are aware of this eye and ear in the sky stuff and have learned not to be indiscreet over the cell phone networks.

This post has been edited by ramdram: 04 May 2012 - 10:27 AM

[dbuckley]

In the epiosode of Harry's Law aired this week in NZ, a drone-like thing to was flying around in Harry's back yard. Harry, being made of the Right Stuff, calmly walks to her closet, takes out the twelve bore, and shoots the thing down. Turns out it was a police drone, spying one her neighbour.

Expect to see lots of these sorts of things.