+ 2 Online Safety - Part 2
In the last few weeks we have talked about online security and how to stay out of the LE limelight. Think of this as part 2 of the conversation.
Aside from the genitals in our pants, there is another tool you carry around that could potentially get you in trouble. No, not the 3 year old condom you keep forgetting about in your wallet that will fail if used, I am talking about your smart phone. There is no doubt, smart phones have transformed our lives, and they are great when you are lost and need directions. But this convenience comes with a price.
Apple likes to say that more pictures are taken with an iPhone than any other device. Which is likely just exaggeration, but after looking at all the selfies on eroids, it is not much of an exaggeration. Every time a picture is taken, regardless of device, meta data is added to the picture describing how large the picture is, the color depth, the image resolution, when the image was created, the camera that created the file and exposure information. But with GPS enabled devices, an additional element of meta data is created and known as “Geo Tagging.”
From Wikipedia, the definition of Geo Tagging is:
Geotagging (also written as GeoTagging) is the process of adding geographical identification metadata to various media such as a geotagged photograph or video, websites, SMS messages, QR Codes[1] or RSS feeds and is a form of geospatial metadata. This data usually consists of latitude and longitude coordinates.
Be sure to read that definition twice. The definition is saying that every picture you take with a gps enabled device could in fact include the longitude and latitude of the location you were standing in when the picture was taken. And the meta data information is embedded with the file and can be read with little effort by anyone. Simply search for “image meta data reader” and you will find online tools. My favorite is http://regex.info/exif.cgi
Why am I telling you this?
1) Do not take pictures in or around your home and post to any website. And definitely do not post pics of your abode followed by discussions about your upcoming vacations even if the time between the two events can be measured in years.
2) Do not take pictures of gear at home, at the gym, at work etc. and post or send to a friend. We have all heard the story about someone getting pinched and LE simply follows the trail. Well, pictures of gear in your friends inbox is one hell of a trail.
3) Do not take pictures of yourself at home, at the gym, at work etc. and then discuss gear. Again, one hell of a bread trail.
Okay, you have two options if you insist on taking pictures from physical locations that could identify you:
1) Disable location/gps on your smart phone. Search google for your model specific instruction.
***NOTE: But be careful, location will be enabled if you ask for GPS directions.
2) Edit picture meta data before posting/sending. I wish I had a favorite, but I am what my wife calls a “paranoid boyscout” and have turned off my gps and do not belong to any social media sites. So the best I can do is give you a link for further reading on meta data editors. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_metadata_editors
Stay safe out there. We are all varying sizes of fish, but if we are inadvertently caught in the LE net, I doubt we will be thrown back.
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I dont know jack about phone security, except that I can get a "throw-away" pay-as-you-go phone from Wal-Mart and be completely anonymous. If I get to the point where I am that worried about being tracked, thats what I would do.
My guess is that Big Brother will shut down that loophole soon, though.
You can always be tracked bro.
When you use a mobile like that, your phone will use GSM networks. Although basic compared to GPRS and HSPDA/3G/4G, it was the communication technology that made mobile devices what they are now.
Basically, your phone can be tracked with cell tower triangulation which is a very accurate way of estimating the location of a mobile phone and has been a base of phone tracking for many years. The difference is, today's phones have GPS. So overriding GPS and finding you is much easier than triangulating your location. But it still works.
Either way. You can still be tracked on a disposable phone. It still uses the same GSM frequency as any other device in its wave band.
The only way not to be traced is to not use s phone. Notice how many crimes were never solved in the 'olden days'? Because no-one rolled about with a device that gives off a permanent signal saying 'Hi I'm here' lol
I am anonymous on a throwaway. They do not know who they are tracking. They do not know who owns the phone. There is no record connecting the phone to a person.
I suppose if enough manpower was utilized "they" could spy on me, see me make a phone call, then check local tower records against my known GPS coordinates they may find out what phone number I called from, but I don't think "they" would put out that kind of effort unless I was Osama bin Ladin.
If you are using a throwaway and they go to all that trouble, you're toast already.
Your phone gives off a signal which can be picked up straight away and tapped into. You know those spy vans you see in movies? Surveillance vechiles? That's effectively what they are lol GSM is a data network that sends data unencrypted. I agree with you though, unless they had already gone that far to track you. The likelihood of you being tracedbon a disposable phone is very slim.
Geotagging on almost all phones is disabled by default. It's classed as security threat to have a phone shipped with it enabled. GPS if disabled cannot be activated unless altered by a remote app or your service provider (wink wink other agencies wink wink). Also, disabling ALL location services including location tracking using cell tower triangulation (my location usually it's called) works a treat too.
But if your running Android, your pretty much fcked. The reason why Android is so unpredictably accessible is because Android is pretty much Linux. Linux has a user permission system, when you get an android phone, you sit in the middle of this user permission hierarchy. As a 'user'. The user actually only has visual control over the phone. He cannot edit system files, because it is write protected. It's horrible isn't it, your a mere spectator on your own phone. Above that is 'Super user'. Now this guy can do whatever he wants. RW+, the works (read write) and change permissions. Unless your bootloader is unlocked, you can't gain access to the belly of your android. Or unless you've got a script that exploits the push file protocol then your fuked also.
Makes no sense does it? Well yes it does. Because if you have someone who knows how to do that, then your phone is theirs more or less. And if it's your network provider (wink wink) then he's got complete control.
Basically, welcome to big brother. You are being watched.
Durkadurka, you no doubt know your shit, and I by no means am challenging you. However, there are numerous articles on the internet stating that location services are enabled by default, are enabled with the use of GPS for directions or eateries nearby, etc. and generally add geo tagging to pictures unless otherwise disabled. I have posted links below. The moral of the article was you can never be too careful and you should always confirm your settings periodically.
http://www.examiner.com/article/do-you-know-posting-smartphone-photos-re...
http://www.cboss.com/geotagging
http://www.icanstalku.com/how.php
http://askbobrankin.com/is_your_smartphone_telling_secrets.html
http://www.examiner.com/article/geo-tagging-is-your-smartphone-revealing...
Its mainstream media trying to get you paranoid mate. Next week, there will be studies that air is harmful and pigs do fly.
Dont take notice. The media world want to scare you, the government want to #### you and your family. Sad state of affairs but thats the world we live in.
In regards to geotagging. Its an optional feature built-in to many smartphones and it is required by law that the big phone makers program the option as disabled. You find me a phond that is brand new, out of the box that has geotagging enabled by default and I will eat my words bro
what if you root your phone and become the super user?
Absolutely root your droid. I rooted mine and got rid of all the tracking shit they ship. After you root the phone make sure you install the app called ES File explorer. It allows you to browse your phone like a hard drive and clear folders of "spyware." Also make sure you look at what apps you install and read the fine print that comes up when you install it. You will notice things like facebook that says track my device or track my location. I took all that crap off my phone and disabled gps.
thanks ... I m gonna hit my tablet with it first and practice on that before I do it to my phone
The guides on the internet are pretty precise. There isn't much of chance of you breaking your devices. But if you do, you need to know how to fix it and not a lot of people do lol. If you read up on it, its called having a bricked phone. Sounds mad but that's essentially what it is. A phone that is useless is technically a brick lol only way to get your phone back is downloading the original factory ROM it came shipped with. Someone on the web will have one and most rooting sites upload factory ROMs by default to help out their visitors. Then you'd need to push the kfactory kernel file and boot loader. And then your back at factory reset level.
XDA Developers is a great website to find ROMs and mods on for android devices. Full of good content and its all free
Well then your phone is yours to do what you want. Who's to say that doesn't mean someone else can use your permissions to do far worse than what you intended on yourself? It's like breaking into your own car because you lost your keys, great, your in, that's a start, but anyone else who tries the locks is in too.
Really, it's going in depth into the actual security of a phone, specifically Android devices. Because there is very little security there in the first place. You can download Android source code from Googles website, Android SDK, API etc.
how does someone else take my permissions? I can't keep them out ? if not then there is no point in rooting the phone and being the superuser is there?
as a side note I ve always assumed that my phone is being used to track me...
Not sure if anyone else has said this, but download an app called permission manager. It allows you to turn off/on all permissions of all apps. So if you don't want lets say facebook app tracking you or having access to your camera/phone call records/contacts etc, you can just put on lock down.
Your phone can be unlocked by pushing a file into its hard drive, pushing is sending. You don't have to be connected via USB for this to happen. Alot of developers for Android have come up with neat little apps that allow you to root your Android with just one app.
And so if someone gained access to your phone, which is possible through Bluetooth or when your connected to a wireless network. They could basically send the app, start it and access your phone bit by bit by bit. Instead of just having a fascia of a phone if you will, they could literally take your phone bits and examine every file on it. Quite easily.
There are quite a few advantages of rooting your phone. One reason is you aren't being restricted, you have full control over your phone. Another reason is you can edit and modify your entire system configuration files. You can also overclock your processor speed and make your phone quicker. One of my phones was running at 1Ghz when the processor was only sold as capable of running 600Mhz.
There are many advantages but from your perspective, I wouldn't recommend it because you won't get the most of it. It's like modding a car, there's knowing how to drive it and then there's knowing how to mod it and drive it.
I was just saying from a security perspective as alot of guys have mentioned and commented. And of course following the main topic of this post; Internet security.
In regards to tracking. The only way you could possibly tell is by disconnecting your Internet and waiting for it to reconnect because once it is disconnected, it's designed to tell you that it HAS disconnected. For example, if you switch airplane mode on. It tells you it's on. If someone was tracking you, especially using the Internet. You'd need the internet for your phone to send data to whoever it was. If there's no data being sent. Nothing is getting to them. Turn your internet off when you don't need it. Your virtually pulling the plug everytime you disconnect. Your phone will use a GSM signal instead of HPSDA or 3G/4G if you change it in the settings and so it won't need the internet to receive calls and text messages.
Another way is to get a traffic monitor for your phone. People usually use an app like that to stop them going over their Internet allowance but you can also use it to see what your phone is doing. And what part of your phone is sending data and receiving. To connect to a phone and stream data requires a constant connection, that's something you'd notice on the graph, a spike in data being sent followed a continuous steady pattern of data. It's hard to tell though for someone who just uses their phone as is from a shop. And so that method might be complicated.
Turn your GPS off. Never turn on location services. Unfortunately as part of Googles user agreement when you first turn on the phone, you HAVE to accept that Google can access your location at any time. If you decline, you can't use the service. So that's a bummer. Turn off your Internet when your not using it. Use SSL encryption on all your emails. Delete all copies of communication. And for gods sake, definitely never ever turn on geotagging lol
All in all, for your phone to tracked. The authorities need permission from the courts to monitor your activity and that's usually a lengthy process that includes surveillance etc. And really? If you've been fine so far, your probably just fine right now
thanks.. just trying to stay five steps ahead... lol..
Not a problem. I get paid to talk this shit on a daily basis so it's a walk in the park for me. At the end of the day, it's only really the government that went in on everybody's movements. It's not your network provider. Google is going to be the biggest goldmine for user information in the next 5-10 years and government agencies are already honing in,did you not hear about PRISM? http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRISM_(surveillance_program)
That's how corrupt government is becoming. They are data mining from companies like Google who agreed to the project in 2008-09 sometime. That allows US government access to Google data which obviously includes user data amongst cloud saved numbers, addresses etc. That's what that while Edward Snowden story that hit headlines around the world was all about. He was the one who blew the whistle on important documents about PRISM because he believes that the government shouldn't be peering into our lives.
And all this boils down to you potentially allowing such features like geotagging to be enabled which turns on more sirens than you care to think about in the eyes of those that want to track you.
But really, back to reality. The chances are slim. And it's not nice to think about is it? Rather talk about how crappy the weather is lol as apposed to depressing internet and data security
I know all about it.. I make it my business to ensure that I am as safe as I can possibly be. I look at everything and I have other people looking at what I miss. the government has been corrupt since they allowed the federal reserve to come into existence. They have been corrupt, bought, sold and paid for by those with the money. They are bullies and extortionists. Prism and the Patriot Act ... well I don't want to hijack the thread ..
ClassyChassisHa ha, the International bankers have owned this country since the days of Andrew Jackson. (-;
Although Wilson selling us out was the coup de gras.
We say "coup de grasse" lol...
don't you know it ... and in french too ;-)
And I'm sure everyone's heard of how easily crackable Android software is. The first few weeks it came out, some came up with an exploit that pushed (sent) through USB to phone in recovery mode that roots the phone. Google rooting android. It's a hobby loved by many.
All in all. Your not safe on any phone, especially android. Making sure geotagging in your camera settings is off is your best bet followed by disabling GPS altogether.
Fr sent. Like to pick your brain about something's brother
Okay bro accepted
With your phone plugged into a PC, it functions as an external storage device. Opening and saving the file from the external device to the internal hard drive, or where ever, the file is essentially being recreated along with a new set of property details.
Outside of that, Eroids strips the meta data during the upload process. Or at least they used to.
Dossier, I pulled two dozen images from eroids, specifically from smart phone selfies and there was no location data. I am pretty sure the eroids upload strips the info but when it comes to security it is best to always do it yourself. You only need to forget one time.
No doubt bro. I agree. Before Eroids site was updated to the platform you see today, if metadata was still present after the upload, the pic wasn't viewable for several hours until it was purged. We used to have thumbnails with a default message reading something about purging EXIF data. They must've improved that process with the newer codes. I actually had forgotten about that until now
I just tried digging up the meta data on my pics and couldn't do it. I am no expert tho. Anyone else able to pull it off theirs?
Icepirate, not sure if you pulled a photo of yours from eroids or not, but the link provided should show you the meta data details. If you pulled an eroids photo, the gods at eroids appear to be striping the metadata from the file. Those guys thought of everything.
Geotagging is disabled by default on all phones bro. There's no need to panic unless you or someone else has enabled it. Having your GPS enabled won't make a difference, it will just make your next Google search that much more accurate lol
So there will be no geotag data on anyone's pictures because it's default disabled. Has nothing to do with meta data stripping. Some website scripts may well strip meta data before image is published but the chance of there being any geotag information is very rare.
No phone manufacturer is allowed to ship a phone with this enabled. I work in data comms and networking. I thrive off talking this shit lol.
Yes, I was strictly talking photo's of mine already up here. I can find them on the ones on my computer.
Photo editing software like Photoshop lets you view it in the EXIF data
That's why always take a pic, email it and then print screen and save that.
There's numerous levels to bypass the inherent big brother tactics smartphones bring.
I laugh at the number of apps people download and are not aware what details these apps ask to access and then report on.
It's horrendous.
And at the end of the day, depending on where the file is uploaded. Your IP address is logged, from there onwards you can be traced to the nearest data center from which it was created and from there to your actual home address.
Your not safe unless you hack basically. Anyone with black hat skillsets will ride anonymous. That's why they hate people like Snowden in this world. Whistle blowers that hate being controlled and know important elements of information that prevents the authorities from hammering down their 'fair acts of national security'.
All in all. Your not really safe at all online.