Listen to the phone how to identify. Signs that your phone is being tapped

To be sure that you are not being bugged.

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

Each of us has a cell phone. When was the last time you left home without a mobile phone? It was probably by accident. It's no secret that we use phones very often, we actually 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 the outside? If someone wants to listen to your conversations, read SMS-messages and follow you on GPS - he 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. It doesn't have to happen to you, but if you suspect that someone is reading your SMS correspondence, here are some helpful tips on how to track down the villain.

Battery temperature.
One of the likely indicators of the presence of wiretapping is the battery. Feel your phone when you are not using it - if it is warm or even hot, it means that it is still in use. Keep in mind that heat comes primarily from overuse. The battery can be hot only if the phone has been used for a while. Charging your cell phone more often than usual is another sign of a potential threat. If you haven't used your gadget more than usual, it is possible that your phone is being used by someone without your knowledge. When a cell phone is tapped, it loses battery power much faster. A listening cell phone constantly records conversations in the room, even if it looks like it’s lying idle. You can use the BatteryLife LX or Battery LED iPhone apps to track the rate at which your battery is draining. Note: Mobile phones tend to lose their maximum battery level over time. If your phone is over a year old, the battery capacity will steadily decrease depending on the intensity of use.

Delay on shutdown.
When you turn off your phone and see a lot of lag, a backlight on for a long time, or just the phone refusing to turn off, then it is very possible that you are hooked. Always notice unusual phone behavior. Although, the described problems may be caused by hardware or software malfunctions of the phone.

Strange activity.
When your phone is working, does it happen that the backlight suddenly turns on, some applications are installed by themselves, or does it turn off spontaneously? Strange behavior can be a signal that someone is remotely controlling this device. By the way, this can also happen due to data transmission interference.

Background noise.
When you are talking, the wiretap phone can interfere. Something like echoes, electric shocks, clicks - these sounds can be caused by the environment, interference with the connection ... or someone listening to you. If you hear a pulsating noise from your phone when you are not using it, this can be a serious problem.

Interference.
If you use your phone in close proximity to other electronic devices (such as a TV) and it interferes with them, then this may be due to the presence of foreign devices in the mobile phone case. In most cases, interference is normal, but if it happens when you are not using your phone, then it may well mean that you are "under the hood."

Become a disinformer.
If you suspect that your telephone conversation is being tapped or recorded by someone you know, you can try to misinform the spy to confirm this suspicion. Give someone you trust your "secret" personal information over the phone. If you find out later that outsiders have found out, then this may be the answer "yes."

Get help.
If you have reason to believe that your cell phone is being tapped, seek help. The police are also an option, since they have equipment that can check your phone, but this is the only way to go if you are sure that you are being tapped.

More and more often in the history of search queries, the question is how to check an android for wiretapping and is it possible to notice by indirect signs that third parties are involved in a conversation without an invitation? We answer: it is possible, and this is what today's material is about.

The general group of listening devices is conventionally divided into two large subgroups.

• Conversations are recorded by a special program installed on the phone. The record is quickly compressed, stored in memory, and, as soon as the moment appears, is sent via the Internet to the “customer”.
• The uninvited guest joins the conversation right in the process and becomes an invisible listener. Such wiretapping is less popular today and is more expensive.

An important point: It is illegal to violate the framework of someone else's personal life (even with good intentions). The offender is subject to criminal liability under Articles 137-138 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. If a specialist detects listening software or "bugs", the injured party has the right to file an application and claim in court.

What can alert you in the first case, when the conversation is written by the program installed on the phone:

1. the battery heats up too much during calls, and the charge is not enough for the usual time, although the gadget is used in the same mode;
2. the phone screen lights up spontaneously when the gadget is in standby mode, no programs are running on it;
3. the phone turns on and off for a longer time than usual: this is due to information downloads of background extraneous programs;
4. during a conversation, the backlight comes on, something is downloaded, the Internet is turned on, messages come and then disappear.

The conclusion suggests itself: on Android, wiretapping or a virus (it also happens that both are at the same time). Some of the above or several factors at the same time should alert the owner.

How can an eavesdropper betray himself in the second case? The gadget will prompt. Someone else has joined your conversation if:

• suddenly there is background noise, even a subtle hiss that appears unexpectedly;
• the smartphone starts to "ring" if, during a conversation, you walk past the speakers or equipment, although such an effect was not previously observed;
• during a call, the screen suddenly lights up;
• the battery is hotter than usual during a call;
• connection and disconnection during a conversation is longer.

Every alarming moment is a reason to contact a specialist. He will record the fact of wiretapping, tell you how to proceed to fix the problem. But what if there is no specialist nearby?

Wiretapping Android phone: how to find

First, you need to find the ill-fated icon among hundreds of others. If your phone has an application for wiretapping or recording conversations, it is quite difficult to find it. Programs are hidden deep in system files, and most likely have been renamed. It is necessary to know well the system files in order to identify the spy "by eye".

In this case, antivirus does not help often (although we recommend scanning your phone), because this type of application is not considered malicious. For example, the full Kaspersky package can help, but the light versions are powerless.

Refer to the "Settings" menu item. Find there the sub-item "Applications" and the tab "active now" or "Running". This tab lists all currently active programs (also look at the "System applications" item).

How to check for wiretapping?

1. Use headphones while talking to pick up ambient sounds and monitor the screen at the same time.
2. As soon as something seems suspicious to you, check the active applications.
3. If an attacker uses a program to copy or eavesdrop on calls, it will appear in the device's task manager.

If the call is listened to without programs, an extract from the mobile operator can help. Compare with the actual cost of calls, traffic consumption, the number of group calls.

How to protect Android from wiretapping

Only a service center specialist can fully protect your gadget from all viruses, wiretaps and bugs. Another option is to demolish all settings to factory defaults. Downloaded files, media, contacts and other information will be deleted (make a backup copy).

You can manually track the consumption of energy and memory, remove strange programs and clean the phone well from dubious files, then run the entire phone through a good antivirus. Google and Yandex search will help distinguish "good" applications from "bad" ones.

Google Play offers to download and use special applications for the device that detect and block attempts to eavesdrop on and monitor your gadget.

What antiproslushka is safe and effective:

• OpenGsm Pro-X - a program that monitors all the manipulations with the phone;
• GSM Spy Finder is an application created specifically to control third-party intrusions into the phone system;
• EAGLE Security - multilevel protection of conversations;
• Kaspersky for mobile - comprehensive and multi-layered protection.

Combinations of numbers for checking wiretapping

Commands useful for checking the phone that will help to fix excessive third-party activity (by simply typing on the main screen):

1. * # 21 # call - list of call forwarding, messages, etc .;
2. ## 002 # call - deletes all numbers for call forwarding;
3. * # 33 # call - services for your mobile;
4. * # 06 # call - unique IMEI number of the phone.

These commands are safe for your phone. They allow you to check from time to time if there are changes that antiproslushka for Android, antivirus and other programs missed.

Many of the methods below are legitimate. But not all.

As a rule, if you are not doing anything illegal or are not under suspicion, then you will not be tapped. But this does not negate the chance of wiretapping by business competitors, criminals and other ill-wishers.

Just know all this information and sleep well.

SORM

The system of operational-search measures is an official, state, total wiretapping. In the Russian Federation, all telecom operators are required to install SORM on their automatic telephone exchanges and provide law enforcement agencies with access to user conversations and correspondence.

If the operator does not have SORM, he will not be issued a license. If he turns off SORM, the license is canceled. By the way, the same system operates not only in neighboring Kazakhstan and Ukraine, but also in the USA, Great Britain and many other countries.

The installation of SORM is determined by the Law "On Communications", Order of the Ministry of Communications No. 2339 dated August 9, 2000, Order of the Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications of the Russian Federation dated January 16, 2008 No. 6 "On Approval of Requirements for Telecommunication Networks for Conducting Operational Search Activities", and also a dozen other normative documents.

SORM includes:

• Hardware and software part, which is installed by the telecom operator;
• A remote control point that is hosted by law enforcement agencies;
• Data transmission channels, the operation of which is provided by the provider to establish communication with the remote control point.

SORM is usually divided into three generations:

Operators of the Russian Federation mainly use SORM 2. But in practice, in 70% of companies the system either does not work at all, or works with violations.

First of all, it is expensive to install SORM (and the operator must do this for his own money according to an individual plan approved by the local FSB department). It is easier for most operators to pay a fine of about 30 thousand rubles in accordance with part 3 of article 14.1 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation.

In addition, the operator's SORM can conflict with the FSB complexes. And because of this, it is technically impossible to record user traffic.

Operators do not control how the secret services use SORM. Accordingly, they cannot prohibit listening to your specific number.

However, for wiretapping, the special services formally need a court decision. In 2016, courts of general jurisdiction issued 893.1 thousand such permits to law enforcement agencies. In 2017, their number decreased, but not significantly.

However, it doesn't cost law enforcement officers anything to include someone's number in a wiretap kit as potentially suspicious. And cite operational necessity.

In addition, the SORM security level is often low. So, there remains an opportunity for unauthorized connection - unnoticed by the operator, subscriber and special services.

The operators themselves can also view the history of calls, messages, movements of the smartphone on base stations.

Signal network SS7 (SS-7)

SS7, OKS-7, or signaling system # 7 is a set of signaling protocols that are used to configure PSTN and PLMN telephone exchanges around the world. Protocols use digital and analog channels to transmit control information.

Vulnerabilities in SS7 are found regularly. This allows hackers to connect to the operator's network and eavesdrop on your phone. Generally speaking, SS7 practically did not have security systems built in - it was initially believed that it was protected by default.

Typically, hackers infiltrate the SS7 network and send a Send Routing Info For SM (SRI4SM) service message over its channels. As a parameter of the message, it specifies the wiretap number. In response, the subscriber's home network sends the IMSI (International Subscriber Identity) and the address of the MSC that is currently serving the subscriber.

After that, the hacker sends another message - Insert Subscriber Data (ISD). This allows him to penetrate the database and upload his address there instead of the subscriber's billing address.

When a subscriber makes a call, the switch refers to the hacker's address. As a result, a conference call is made with the participation of a third party (an attacker) who can listen and record everything.

You can connect to SS7 anywhere. So the Russian number may well be broken from India, China, but even from distant hot Africa. By the way, SS7 allows you to use USSD requests to intercept SMS or transfer the balance.

In general, SS7 is the "mother of all holes" and the most vulnerable point of the mobile system. It is now used not only for wiretapping, but also for bypassing two-factor authentication. In other words, to access your bank accounts and other secured profiles.

Trojan Applications

This is just the simplest and most common way. It is much easier to install the application while the "half" is in the shower, or use social engineering methods to force you to follow the link, than to negotiate with the operatives and the FSB.

Applications allow you not only to record conversations on your mobile or read SMS. They can activate the microphone and camera to covertly listen and film everything that happens around.

The most popular Trojan of this kind is FinFisher. In 2008-2011, it was installed on the iPhone through a hole in iTunes, which for some reason Apple did not close. Brian Krebbs wrote about the vulnerability back in 2008, but everyone pretended it wasn't there.

In 2011, the Egyptian government used FinFisher during the Arab Spring. Moreover, it acquired the official version for 287 thousand euros. Shortly thereafter, WikiLeaks showed on video how FinFisher, FinSpy and other Gamma Group developments collect user data. And only after that Apple was forced to close the hole.

How can you be persuaded to install a spy for wiretapping? It can be an update of a popular game from the "left" catalog, an application with discounts, a fake for a system update.

By the way, law enforcement agencies also use spy apps - for example, when they cannot go the official way and obtain court permission. Trojans for 0day vulnerabilities in Android and iOS are a multimillion-dollar market, products based on it are in demand in many countries of the world.

Remote wiretapping

There are three options - a mobile complex, a femtocell, or a fake base station. All of them are not cheap, so the average user will not be listened to like that. But still, let's tell you how it works.

The mobile complex is installed at a distance of up to 300-500 m from the listening smartphone. A directional antenna intercepts all signals, the computer stores and decodes them using rainbow tables or other technologies. When the wiretapping is over, the complex simply leaves.

The fake base station (IMSI interceptor) has a stronger signal than the real one. The smartphone sees that such a station will provide the best communication quality, and automatically connects to it. The station intercepts all data. The station is slightly larger than a laptop. It costs from $ 600 (handicraft) to $ 1500-2000 (industrial versions).

By the way, fake stations are often used to send spam. In China, such devices are assembled by craftsmen and sold to companies that want to attract buyers. Often, counterfeit BSs are used in areas of hostilities to misinform the military or the population.

Femtocell is a smaller device. It is not as powerful as a full-fledged communication station, but it performs the same functions. Femtocells are usually installed by companies to listen to the traffic of their employees and partners. The data is intercepted before it is sent to the base stations of cellular operators. But the same femtocell can be installed for spot wiretapping.

Hello dear readers. Our time with you is the age of globalization, computer technology, all kinds of gadgets and, of course, the Internet. Today it is impossible to imagine a day without your smartphone - this modern notebook, personal secretary and signalman-conductor in one bottle. The topic is becoming more and more relevant - wiretapping of telephones, both of civil servants and ours. We will find out how to protect ourselves in the article.

The main signs of wiretapping

If you have any suspicions that your cell phone is being tapped, you can contact a specialist in diagnostics and even resort to the services of a detective. Alternatively, you can check it yourself. To do this, you need to familiarize yourself with the list of signs of wiretapping:

1. One of the most common is the rapid discharge of the device's battery. However, if you are constantly “on the phone”, and your gadget is equipped with all sorts of applications, then in this case it makes no sense to rely on this feature. If the mobile "sat down" in sleep mode, then there is a reason to think about wiretapping.
2. The telephone turns off and on without your help, reboots, the display lights up independently. If there are no problems with the operating system, then in this case, it is probably the work of listening devices.
3. When near a TV, radio or other electrical equipment, the phone interferes with their operation. When sending messages or making calls, "phonit".
4. During a conversation, you suddenly begin to hear your own voice, extraneous sounds. For a long time you cannot join and disconnect from the line of another subscriber.
5. All of a sudden, your mobile deposit is running out, and you have not subscribed to any of your cellular services. Think about it, perhaps a foreign device transmits information from your telephone set via the Internet, as a result of which money is withdrawn from the account.
6. Pay attention to the phone battery, it must not be hot.
7. If a smartphone is tapped by fraudsters, they can easily launch the program into the phone and thereby provide full access to confidential information. When using Bluetooth, the risk of being attacked increases.

If you find one of the signs of wiretapping in your smartphone, then immediately contact the police. It is important to remember and check your telephone set in advance for any problems. Note that only modern cellular models are susceptible to eavesdropping attacks over the Internet. Old mobiles are tapped with bugs.

Eavesdropping protection

1. Not every ordinary citizen can afford to engage in wiretapping your phone. It is very expensive and difficult. This is mainly done by the special services. If you nevertheless suspect something was wrong, you can change your number and / or mobile phone. Otherwise, turn off the telephone and remove the battery.
2. If your cell phone contains a lot of valuable confidential information, then get a crypto phone with a built-in system for classifying telephone conversations.
3. Another surefire way to protect yourself is to download special mobile applications:

EAGLE Security is one of the most reliable programs that ensures the safety of your valuable smartphone data. It can be downloaded for free on the Internet, the application is not "heavy" and can be easily installed on the phone. The program scans all phone calls and identifies extraneous networks.

Android IMSI-Catcher Detector is a popular application, its activity is also aimed at detecting false networks of intruders and classifying your outgoing data.

Darshak is a powerful utility that takes root on any phone model. It diagnoses all calls, messages not only on the working device, but also in the "sleep" mode.

Catcher-Catcher is a simple and reliable program that successfully detects suspicious networks.

Another important tip: do not use the browsers you are used to. Install special browsers like Orweb and Orbot. They effectively check phone data: calls, SMS, various files.

What else is important to know

The most effective and simple method of protection against wiretapping is not to transmit important and valuable data via mobile communication.

If you cannot do without a phone, then it is better to use special programs with a highly effective protection system, such as Skype.

Give preference to GPRS communication, thanks to which the frequency of receiving and transmitting data is not constant, so it will be difficult for fraudsters to connect.

Another simple tip: you can talk without fear from a moving vehicle, it is more difficult for listening devices to pick up the signal.

You can also remove the battery from your smartphone, which will cause the connection to your phone to be lost.

And finally: be careful when giving your mobile for repair, choose not a Sharashka office, but a decent mobile communications center .

Naturally, each of us needs to be vigilant and protect our privacy from prying eyes. But treat this without fanaticism, because every second suspicion of wiretapping is false. Don't deprive yourself of restful sleep!

Learn a lot of new and informative on our blog.

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

Each of us has a cell phone. When was the last time you left home without a mobile phone? It was probably by accident. It's no secret that we use phones very often, we actually 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 the outside? If someone wants to listen to your conversations, read SMS-messages and follow you on GPS - he 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. It doesn't have to happen to you, but if you suspect that someone is reading your SMS correspondence, here are some helpful tips on how to track down the villain.

Battery temperature

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

The phone runs out of battery very quickly

Charging your cell phone more often than usual is another sign of a potential threat. If you haven't used your gadget more than usual, it is possible that your phone is being used by someone without your knowledge. When a cell phone is tapped, it loses battery power much faster. A listening cell phone constantly records conversations in the room, even if it looks like it’s lying idle.

You can use the BatteryLife LX or Battery LED iPhone apps to track the rate at which your battery is draining.

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

Delay on shutdown

When you turn off your phone and see a lot of lag, a backlight on for a long time, or just the phone refusing to turn off, then it is very possible that you are hooked. Always notice unusual phone behavior. Although, the described problems may be caused by hardware or software malfunctions of the phone.

Strange activity

When your phone is working, does it happen that the backlight suddenly turns on, some applications are installed by themselves, or does it turn off spontaneously? Strange behavior can be a signal that someone is remotely controlling this device. By the way, this can also happen due to data transmission interference.

Background noise

When you are talking, the wiretap phone can interfere. Something like echoes, electric shocks, clicks - these sounds can be caused by the environment, interference with the connection ... or someone listening to you. If you hear a pulsating noise from your phone when you are not using it, this can be a serious problem.

Interference

If you use your phone in close proximity to other electronic devices (such as a TV) and it interferes with them, then this may be due to the presence of foreign devices in the mobile phone case. In most cases, interference is normal, but if it happens when you are not using your phone, then it may well mean that you are "under the hood."

Become a disinformer

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

Get help

If you have reason to believe that your cell phone is being tapped, seek help. The police are also an option, since they have equipment that can check your phone, but this is the only way to go if you are sure that you are being tapped. For example, if the information that you once discussed with a reliable business partner, and in no other way could have known about it, "leaked" in an amazing way.

Conclusion

Still, you shouldn't be paranoid.

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

The chances of being hooked by someone are very small. Most of the problems described above can be attributed to poor connectivity, old battery, firmware "glitches" - but there are also signs that you should pay attention to anyway. If you are a good Samaritan, then you have every 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.

Do not expect that by simply turning off the phone with the button, you can protect yourself from eavesdropping. At the same time, 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 sure that you are not being tapped. Moreover, if you just need to make yourself invisible for billing, you need to remove the battery without disconnecting the phone before using the button.

8 secret codes for your cell phone

1) *#06# ... Allows you to find out the unique IMEI number of any smartphone, including the iPhone.

2) *#21# ... Allows you to get information about the enabled call forwarding - calls, messages and other data. Very handy when you want to check if someone is spying on you.

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

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

5) *#30# ... Provides information about identifying the incoming subscriber number

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

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

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

Russia has created a system to intercept mobile calls in offices

InfoWatch has developed a system that will allow employers to intercept employees' mobile phone calls in the office. With its help, it is proposed to fight against leakage of confidential information.

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

Zecurion CEO Alexei Raevsky, who also heard about the development of this system, explained to the publication that this is a kind of

“Femtocell (equipment for amplifying the cellular signal), which must be installed at the customer's site and connected to the mobile operator's network, but the voice traffic passing through it will be intercepted, translated into text using speech recognition systems and then analyzed by keywords for transmission confidential information ".

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

“It is planned that the hardware device installed in the company will be integrated with the core of the cellular operator's network to become a trusted base station of the cellular operator. Then this base station will intercept voice traffic from mobile phones that are within its coverage area. "

She said.

- added Kaspersky. 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 discarded by the device and redirected to standard base stations of cellular operators."