A Cellphone Or... a Spy?

With the aid of a simple piece of software, any cellphone can turn into a device that would look good in a spy movie.
More and more often, we happen to read, on newspapers, magazines or websites, news about development of modern telecommunication technologies. A few weeks ago, for example, Italian newspapers were reporting the news of a father, who ended up under investigation for keeping his teenage kids under control through a cellphone which was turned into a real bug, able to transmit in real time, or record and transmit, whatever was happening around, even while apparently turned off.

This kind of devices, which for your ordinary Joe might be coming straight out of a 007 movie, are actually much more common, much easier, and last but not least, much less expensive than one could think.

As anyone may have noticed by observing the evolution of mobile technology in recent years, modern mobile phones are now much closer to portable computers than they are to an ordinary telephone.
And just like every PC, although with a different installation process, modern cellphones can host a wide array of software, either the normal utilities for the phone’s everyday activities (SMS, email, address book management, photo camera, MP3 player, etc), or specific products that make our phones a real multimedia station rather than a simple conversation device.

Ad esempio, oltre a programmi che, come detto sopra, possono trasformare il telephony in una microspia ricetrasmittente, spesso all’insaputa dell’utilizzatore, esistono anche altri programmi che rendono le nostre conversazioni sicure, codificando la trasmissione e rendendola inintelligibile a chi non sia in possesso dello stesso software e delle relativa chiave di decodifica.

For example, beside software that, as explained above, can turn our cellphone into a real bug, allowing third parties to listen, unbeknownst to the user, to any conversation around it even while turned off, there are also some utilities which, after being installed on a handset, make our conversations secure, by encrypting them, making any interception impossible and useless for any third party without having the relevant decryption key.

Just like a PGP key for email, this software allows to encrypt telephone communications (including SMS), by being installed on user’s handsets, along with a secret 256-bit key entered by all users. After installation the user can access the software from the Main Menu of the phone to place secure calls to other users. To place the call the user needs to enter the normal phone number of the caller from the dialer screen.

When the call is answered on the other end, the software checks for the correct keys on both ends and then initiates a 256-bit encrypted call. Missions and consultants in foreign countries do not need to be bothered of who is listening into their conversations, as they are over a data line which is heavily encrypted. At no point is any data sent over a voice channel or is in clear text type transfer.

This application ensures that information can be sent from anywhere in the world to headquarters within a few seconds. Some information requires to be sent instantaneously and requires an instant reaction. A simple call is to be placed to HQ and a conversation can take place to aid instant decision making.

The Encrypted Call Software is simple to configure. Just enter the 256-bit key on all phones that wish to communicate with each other and you are done. Simplicity of this software should not be mistaken for its performance. In the background the software uses Data Call facility provided by the network provider to seamlessly auto-adapt itself to any GSM network. The end user does not need to enter any complicated settings to make it operational, as an intelligent plug-and-play system ensures smooth operations.

For further protection, the key can be changed at any time. The software is only available for sale to Law Enforcement or related agencies.