Jaeger - Make Your Smartphone 007 Smart

MakeYour Smartphone 007 Smart

By ConradJaeger

v4:1

Published at Smashwords

Copyright Alan Pearce 2016

ISBN: 9781370004027

Alan Pearce November 2016

alanpearce.com

Updated December 2016

Table of Contents

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Disclaimer

This book is for educational purposes only. Inno way is it the intention of the author, publishers ordistributors to encourage anyone to do anything illegal. Theauthor, publishers and distributors accept no liability foranything that happens in any way connected with the reading,possession or use of this book.

Dont even think about it.

A technicalaside

The Deep Web addresses marked

Free, open source software isgenerally preferable to the paid-for variety because it can betested by developers and any logging devices or backdoors can beidentified.

Be alert that no single system orpiece of software is 100% secure or safe.

Introduction

The smartphone in your pocket caneasily be turned into a high-tech spy tool and counter-surveillancedevice to rival anything that Ian Flemings Q might have dreamtup.

You can communicate secretly, browsethe web anonymously, access the Deep Web and hidden networks, viewbanned content, download privately, and continue using Twitter andFacebook if their services are ever blocked locally. You can eventake over and control many public and private securitycameras.

Conversely, mobile devices are notsecure unless you make them so. If somebody wants to know where youare at this precise moment, your smartphone or tablet will tellthem even if they are turned off.

Mobile espionage, long the preserve oflaw enforcement and specialized investigators, has now evolved intoa fully-fledged cybercrime industry. In 2011, Kaspersky Labsdetected nearly 5,300 new malicious programs for all mobileplatforms. By the end of 2012, the number exceeded six million the vast majority aimed at Android. Today, that number is almostimpossible to count.

When it comes to securing your system,there are several concerns ad networks, cybercriminals, stalkers,malicious trolls, law enforcement, intelligence agencies andcorporate spies and they all use similar techniques. Generally,they do this by so-called social engineering, the art of playingon peoples gullibility or natural desire to please. They do thisby enticing people to open email attachments or by following linksto malicious websites where malware will instantly load much in thesame way as a conventional cookie.

Cybercriminals make the most of newsevents and consumer trends to draw people to a webpage wheremalware will automatically plant itself in the computer, known as adrive-by download. Malware can also be surreptitiously planted inlegitimate websites to infect even the wary. These are known aswatering hole attacks.

Within hours of the Boston marathonbombing, the spammers were sending out emails and Twitter linksseemingly from CNN which sent users to sites compromised by aBlackhole Exploit Kit where many were infected by Trojans,backdoors, infostealers or rootkits. The same thing happens aroundmost major news stories. And its not just the gullible public whofall prey. Seasoned journalists are regularly sucked in with theapparent deaths of celebrities or by looming sexscandals.

Another growing threat isRansomware, which locks a device until a fine is paid. Infectionsoften come via legitimate but compromised websites andadvertisements where hackers have managed to insert maliciouscoding. Victims suddenly find their screen frozen and a fakewarning from the FBI or local law enforcement saying they have beendownloading illegal content. Even more unnerving, the perpetratorsoccasionally include a mug shot from the victims own webcam. Thismalware is extremely hard to remove and, needless to say, once afine has been paid the device stays locked. If you should ever fallvictim, contact No MoreRansom .

The majority of malware comes hiddeninside seemingly harmless apps which run in the background andcollect data all day long. Malicious programs have been detected inapps on Google Play and the App Store for iOS. Intelligenceagencies are known to piggy-back off this data and add it to thepool of profiles.

They will track your locations,browsing and downloads, and collaborate with other running apps tobuild up a detailed profile. Some will intercept incoming calls oractivate the microphone. Many apps harvest contacts, some collectpasswords, while others send secret messages to premium-ratenumbers, running up your charges.

Most apps are free or very cheapbecause developers make their money by allowing in ad networks andother malevolent parties. Be alert when an app asks permission touse your current location many dont bother to ask and nevergive out email addresses or any personal details.

Additionally, any hostile actor orstalker can pay around US$50 a month for a tracking program thatthey then hide inside the target device. It takes just a fewminutes for someone with your device in their hands to download andinstall the tracking program.

These programs are ostensibly sold forparents to keep track of their children or for bosses to keep aneye on staff but, of course, anyone with any intention can buy one.They can then access every aspect of your online activity,including stealing your passwords. They can even prevent outgoingcalls to the police or anybody they select. They are also virtuallyundetectable. If you suspect you may be a victim, begin by placinga sticker over the webcam and then consider re-setting the deviceto its factory defaults.

The key here is to preventmalware from entering your devices in the first place. Never openany attachment that you are unsure of. Install in all your devicesa good free anti-spyware program such as Avast . This will alert youwhenever somebody sends you a malicious email attachment. You canalso use the program to scan suspicious files. Equally, neverfollow any link that you are unsure of, especially so if theaddress is a shortened URL. Again, Avast should warn you when youarrive at a suspicious website and prevent unauthorizeddownloads.

Clear Out, LoadUp, Lock Down, Run Silent

Begin by clearing out from yoursmartphone and tablet any unwanted or unused programs, especiallythe games.

Then install a good anti-spywareprogram such as the free version of Avast. Also install a VPN(Virtual Private Network) to keep you safe when using public Wi-Fipoints. Hotspot Shield comes in both free and Elite versions forall devices.

Install a secure messagingapp. We recommend the free version of Open Whisper Systems Signal and encourage yourfriends and contacts to do the same. This will prevent anyonelistening in on your calls or reading your messages.

Always cover your webcam on all ofyour digital devices. These cameras are never safe and can veryeasily be tapped into, opening your life to deepscrutiny.

You should also payattention to the devices Settings and limit the amount of information you give away.See Counter-Intrusion .

This is yourstarting point. In order to stay safe in the digital world it isimportant to understand how your potential adversaries operate andthen to take appropriate counter measures. The pages below willshow you how.

2. Keeping out the Spies

Intelligence agencies andlaw enforcement use malware, one example being FinSpy , which they send topeople in spoof emails, allowing agents to take control ofsmartphones and other devices, intercepting Skype calls, turning oncameras and recording keystrokes. Researchers have found FinSpyrunning on 36 servers world-wide. Cyber-criminals use the sametechniques, although they are often less sophisticated.