Apple NSA Security Ping!
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Posted on 06/10/2014 10:25:59 PM PDT by Swordmaker
Can the NSA really listen to your iPhone’s microphone even when it is turned OFF? Experts say it is possible - but reveal the trick to beat it
The NSA could technically listen in to the microphone of an iPhone even if it switched off, experts have revealed.
The claim was first made by Edward Snowden during an interview with Brian Williams of NBC Nightly News.
Today, experts confirmed the technique was technically possibly - and revealed a way to sidestep it.
The claim the NSA could technically listen in to the microphone of an iPhone even if it switched off was first made by Edward Snowden during an interview with Brian Williams of NBC Nightly News.
The claim the NSA could technically listen in to the microphone of an iPhone even if it switched off was first made by Edward Snowden during an interview with Brian Williams of NBC Nightly News.
Brian Williams of NBC Nightly News, holding his iPhone aloft during last Wednesday’s interview, asked, “What can the NSA do with this device if they want to get into my life? Can anyone turn it on remotely if it’s off? Can they turn on apps?
'They can absolutely turn them on with the power turned off to the device,' Snowden replied.
Security researchers claim the technique is possible, and that software could make the phone look like it’s shutting down but actually entering a low-power mode that leaves key communication chips on. . .
This 'playing dead' state would allow the phone to receive commands, including one to activate its microphone, Eric McDonald, a hardware engineer in Los Angeles told Wired.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
To ensure the phone is completely inoperable, it must be put into a sepcial DFU mode normal used to upgrade its software
Step-by-step guide on how to put iPhone in DFU mode
To enter DFU mode:
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Learn the battery consumption quirks of your device and be alert to changes. Kinda like on a pc, staying aware of your typical temperatures and resource usage patterns can reveal malware or developing hardware problems in time to be corrected easily.
if you have a strong baseline of normal operations, any changes will stick out like a sore thumb.
the answer is yes.
the one you should really come to grips on is...
with your computer off, they can power on your network card, upload software and have it open the mic and listen.
all without the machine booting up
If Apple allowed removable batteries, this could be avoided.
Heck, even the chinese produce better (and much cheaper) machines and more robust OS's!
keep your cameras taped when not explicitly using them. and keep the mike unplugged when not using it.
Not if it’s not plugged in.
What part of "This requires PHYSICAL ACCESS TO YOUR iPHONE TO INSTALL HARDWARE" do you fail to understand? Without having prior access to the iPhone, NSA cannot do this. If they can get physical access to your phone, they can install hidden power sources, hidden microphones, etc. All bets are off. Hell, if they've had access to your phone they OWN you.
If you worry about this, simply turn on AIRPLANE MODE. . . which turns off ALL RADIOS. This has been checked. No RF comes from the iPhones at all. Another solution. You want to talk about something you don't want the government to hear? Put your phone in your microwave oven. Excellent Faraday cage. Almost every home has one.
bttt
I think you can buy security software from the State Department that prevents the State Department from doing that.
On a Mac, you have to specifically allow "Wake for network activity" otherwise it will not happen. Also, Apple has hardwired the camera light on iMacs and MacBooks so that if the camera comes on, the light will light. No software way to avoid that.
I think the russians have better security software than that. :)
So physically disconnect it from the 120 and or the network.
We must all do microphone checks. Hold the phone near the toilet and fire off your salute of disapproval.
You should be good, right?
Absolutely. If your phone is powered off, it can't respond to the network. NSA proof!
But what if, thanks to having quietly installed an NSA firmware "upgrade" via whatever route, it didn't really power off?
The only way you'd know is if your phone's battery life is atypical. If it's still warm despite being turned off ... if you get droned!
Most telling for the chinese though is if a virus or backdoor is discovered (usually by the 'nix crowd since the macophiles are usless for things like this) you can wipe it and have it secure again fairly quickly, unlike the US alphabet agencies who would most probably respond by kicking in your door in the middle of the night and shooting your dog(s) and then arresting you.
Unless you were a muzzie, arabic, related to the clintons or mrs bill (or eric-the-with-holder), or: one of the Sons Of Barak's (SOB's).
Or gay, if Barky found out.
I think I would prefer an audio disapproval... RRRRIIIIIIIPPPPPP!
Perhaps one of these days our phones will have the ability to detect aromomatic inputs? That would be even better. . . hmmmmm It would be good if their reproduction of that input were, shall we say, high definition?
Your “RRRRIIIIIIIPPPPPP!” is what I meant by a “salute of disapproval.” If I had it in me, a 21 gun salute!
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