British spies use wireless "drop rocks" to exchange info with Russians

Those crafty British folk, they're always up to something. The L.A. Times is reporting that Moscow has recently "outed" a British spy ring doing business with Russian double-agents, transferring information and channeling funds to strictly-monitored human-rights groups. Normally this type of story isn't our cup of tea, so to speak, but these real-life James Bonds were exchanging data in a method that piques our interest: they were using fake rocks to wirelessly make and receive information drops to and from their Russian associates. Apparently these spy rocks have a range of about 80 feet and only require a few seconds to make an entire data handoff. No word, though, on which wireless standard was being used (if any), or what type of encryption was solid enough for this case of international espionage.

[Thanks, Sven]

[jacob @ Jan 23rd 2006 10:13PM]

definately 802.11b with the wep key "supersecrethotspot"

[What do they teach in school these days? @ Jan 23rd 2006 10:17PM]

"peaks our interest"

it's "piques our interest"

[XGM @ Jan 23rd 2006 10:26PM]

Me want one so i can be a spy lol. Its been done for so many things lol. Speakers in a rock, and do i need to go on...

[pucksprite @ Jan 23rd 2006 10:39PM]

That's pretty cool! lol Wireless Rocks! lol Don't you just hate it... lol when someone types "lol" after every sentence? lol

[rayray8822 @ Jan 23rd 2006 11:54PM]

I want to know how the Russkies caught them! (It's funny, because I just happened to be reading Tom Clancy's "Cardinal of the Kremlin" right now, a Cold War-era spy novel!)

[pete @ Jan 24th 2006 12:55AM]

can't imagine the encryption standard was anything too crazy - probably just a "rock"-end standard in conjunction w/ the typical wireless network protections. you need hardcore encryption/protection for networks that are likely to be attacked (e.g., Pentagon server, NSA computers, etc.). but who the heck thinks anything of a seemingly unobtrusive gentleman or woman sitting at a park bench with a laptop these days?

[Anders @ Jan 24th 2006 12:58AM]

I for one welcome this new stone age.

[ivan @ Jan 24th 2006 1:32AM]

6: "who the heck thinks anything of a seemingly unobtrusive gentleman or woman sitting at a park bench with a laptop these days?"

There is nothing suspicious about it at all. Unless its -37C (-26F) degrees outside, as it has been recently in Russia.

[Mike @ Jan 24th 2006 1:45AM]

Awesome...keep in mind the best place to hide something is in plain site...

[chuck @ Jan 24th 2006 3:31AM]

100% faked by the KGB. it's all about propaganda. the real reason for all this is to backset financing for various non-governmental organizations in Russia.

[Ian Mackereth @ Jan 24th 2006 3:53AM]

Sheesh! A few harmless geocaches and everyone gets all hot under the (fur) collar!
http://geocaching.com

[MacroEQ @ Jan 24th 2006 4:26AM]

This looks to be faked by the Russians.

Whilst I don't deny the British secret services would come up with ingenious ways of spying, I don't think this is anything other than a Russian set-up to highlight the subject of foreign governments giving money to NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations).

If you look at the footage, you never see the person's face (or it's blurred) when they "interfere" with the rock or walk down the street. And when they do show a face, the footage is miraculously close up and crystal clear.

The date on the piece of paper is in American format mm/dd/yy - The British use dd/mm/yy.

Judge for yourself: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4638136.stm

[Flipper @ Jan 24th 2006 4:58AM]

The word "allegedly" should be liberally sprinkled in your article. Those rocks wouldn't look out of place on a star trek TOS episode they are so naff.

[Davik @ Jan 24th 2006 5:32AM]

In the age of the internet... why?
Just encript it and find an open wifi network...

Am I missing something?

[Nick Wade @ Jan 24th 2006 5:51AM]

What strikes me as odd is that the Russians have chosen to make such a public example of this particular incident, when it is so widely accpeted that this sort of thing goes on all the time. What do they have to gain from exposing this one? - and if it is faked, what exactly is the purpose of the propoganda? I can't see the point either way.

[lowdowndirty @ Jan 24th 2006 7:01AM]

80ft range? You'd laugh if you saw the so called Russian video evidence of the alleged agents walking past the rock from about 10 ft away and then stop on the pavement, fumble in their pockets for some kind of 'transmitter' to point it at said rock in broad daylight. If it wasn't staged then British intelligence really wants to get some proper agents (and ideas) as opposed to the Mr Bean imbecile in the video clip. What a load of cack.

[Kumi Ankka @ Jan 24th 2006 7:12AM]

If it was faked, the reason is to get more people convinced to allow the present dictature to get more power. If it wasn't faked, the publicity drives the same purpose. I surely believe there is intelligence activity in Moscow, but this rock thing seems a little too strange.. or is it just the british..

[J @ Jan 24th 2006 8:11AM]

yeah i saw that this morning! there is one time there is snow on the ground so the "agent" walks up to it and kicks it so it rolls on top of the snow, steps back and points something at it. retarded.

[Shaun @ Jan 24th 2006 10:23AM]

Right, us Brits are going to use our own embassy staff to kick rocks in the snow outside a Russian government establishment so that we can point Palm Pilots at them.

Do pay attention Engadget! This is the Russian FSB on a FUD mission to discredit the NGOs which Britain and America openly fund. Putin has stamped down on funding of groups which might oppose him from within Russia and now he's stamping down on foreign funding. He just needed a reason. This is the trumped up reason.

[Iceman @ Jan 24th 2006 12:22PM]

I saw the Russian home movie of the "spy" and his pet rock. Was that funny, or what? Straight out of a Get Smart video.

[Stinky Diapers @ Jan 25th 2006 11:59PM]

99% of everything the soviet, oops... i mean russian government has ever claimed has turned out to be a lie. I believe this falls into that category. I say we nuke em. Just my 2 cents...

[Legal Lady @ Jan 26th 2006 12:21PM]

I don't know much, but I do think that it seems like if this were true-international spies would be a little more ingenious than this. Rocks????