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| Science |
| Homeland Security finds suspected phone surveillance devices in Washington |
| 2018-04-04 |
| [FoxNews] The U.S. government has acknowledged the existence in Washington D.C. of what appear to be devices that could be used by foreign spies and criminals to track individual cellphones and intercept calls and messages, the Associated Press reported Tuesday. In a March 26 letter to Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the Department of Homeland Security admitted that it "has observed anomalous activity in the [Washington D.C. area] that appears to be consistent with International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) catchers." DHS added that it had not determined the type of devices in use or who might have been operating them, nor did it say how many it detected or where. However, a DHS official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the agency's reply to Wyden has not been publicly released told AP that the devices were detected in a 90-day trial that began in January 2017 with equipment from a Las Vegas-based DHS contractor, ESD America. The CEO of ESD America, Les Goldsmith, said his company has a relationship with DHS but would not comment further. The use of what are known as cellphone-site simulators by foreign powers has long been a concern, but American intelligence and law enforcement agencies — which use such eavesdropping equipment themselves — have been silent on the issue until now. The agency's response, obtained by the AP from Wyden's office, suggests little has been done about such equipment, known popularly as Stingrays after a brand common among U.S. police departments. The Federal Communications Commission, which regulates the nation's airwaves, formed a task force on the subject four years ago, but it never produced a report and no longer meets regularly. The devices work by tricking mobile devices into locking onto them instead of legitimate cell towers, revealing the exact location of a particular cellphone. More sophisticated versions can eavesdrop on calls by forcing phones to step down to older, unencrypted 2G wireless technology. Some attempt to plant malware. They can cost anywhere from $1,000 to about $200,000. They are commonly the size of a briefcase; some are as small as a cellphone. They can be placed in a car next to a government building. The most powerful can be deployed in low-flying aircraft. Christopher Krebs, the top official in the department's National Protection and Programs Directorate, noted in the letter that DHS lacks the equipment and funding to detect Stingrays even though their use by foreign governments "may threaten U.S. national and economic security." The department did report its findings to "federal partners" Krebs did not name. That presumably includes the FBI. Legislators have been raising alarms about the use of Stingrays in the capital since at least 2014, when Goldsmith and other security-company researchers conducted public sweeps that located suspected unauthorized devices near the White House, the Supreme Court, the Commerce Department and the Pentagon, among other locations. The executive branch, however, has shied away from even discussing the subject. |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #7 Delete be Trump. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2018-04-04 12:30 |
| #6 what appear to be devices that could be used by foreign spies and criminals to track individual cellphones and intercept calls and messages, the Associated Press reported Tuesday. Foreign? Could be Trump what Trump meant shortly after he got elected. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2018-04-04 12:28 |
| #5 Motorola threw together a backpackable version and sent it to NYNY just 24 hrs after 911. Found about 1000 working cellphones at the trade towers but no people. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2018-04-04 12:21 |
| #4 I have read elsewhere that the USCG has installed devices like these on their search & rescue aircraft to help find civilians lost in areas where there is no cell phone coverage, e.g. wilderness of upper peninsula of Michigan, southwest deserts, etc. They have succeeded in locating the lost who happen to have their cell phones powered on. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2018-04-04 10:53 |
| #3 The political class has a habit of chasing foreign agents down dark alleys, hitting them over the head and then stuffing their pockets with juicy intelligence (Awan/Congress,Clinton EMail/Maid/Sciff, Weiner/Abedin's Yahoo printout scheme). What difference at any point do a few measly phone calls or text messages make? |
| Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 2018-04-04 08:55 |
| #2 Given the recent revelations about domestic spying, the first thing to look for is an inventory tag from one of our own three-letter agencies. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2018-04-04 08:02 |
| #1 Why do you suspect just 'foreign' powers? |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2018-04-04 07:58 |