Alleged Russian spies used WiFi and pre-paid cellphones, got caught anyways
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted July 5th 2010 6:29PM
posted July 5th 2010 6:29PM
Are the new crop of Russian spies nerds like us? We doubt it (we probably have more in common with Lil Wayne than a certain "Anna Chapman," if that is her real name). How do they do their dirty work, then? Apparently their kit is mostly off-the-shelf: including laptops and flash memory cards. According to the FBI, two of the recently accused perps would meet at a coffee shop in Manhattan every Wednesday, where one would sit inside, while they other passed by in a van. When in range, they would connect over WiFi and transfer encrypted communications over their network. (The FBI was able to sniff this out using commercial software. Had they used ultra-wideband radio, however, the investigator's task would probably have been all but impossible). It's also believed that the spies used pre-paid cellphones to communicate. One such unit, purchased by Chapman, had the following listed for her address: 99 Fake Street. It just goes to show you that all the gadgetry in the world will not protect you from your lack of common sense.
As much as I'm sure it sucked to live though, the Cold War sure did know how to make spies.
@snugs
these were hardly cold war spies....more like keystone cops..
@snugs In Soviet Russia, Phone burns YOU!
@snugs
i love beer
@snugs
Chapman: my data connection keeps breaking comrade, cannot transmit.
S.Jobs: you're holding it wrong.
FBI: hands up b8tches
@loadoftoad
How does it feel to be today's winner of the internets?
Russian spies... wtf? Wasnt the cold war over like 20 years ago.
@ssguy People from both sides still yearn for the Cold War days.
@ssguy
If you think that the US, UK, Russia, China etc don't have spies all over the world your an idiot.
These ones just got caught, theres plenty more.
@Jimbob
you're
@Jimbob
correct. but they are just basic intelligence gatherers unlike the cold war era spies.
@ssguy
on the news these guys are being portrayed as actual cold war era type spies.
@Jimbob Every country has spies, even the tiniest most insignificant country would have a spy of sorts working for it.
@ssguy What, were those Cold War spy-guys all James Bond?
Spies = intelligence gatherers. That's why they exist.
Sometimes they run agents, sometimes they collect SIGINT, IMINT... Your game of semantics just bit you in the ass.
@angstwad
aargh.... what i meant to say is that u cant compare these guys to the cold war era kgb spies. The news channels are making a big deal of this and just creating fear in peoples mind against the Russians.
Yeah real gadget geeks wouldve put 1337 KIRF ST as their address
@dzeikei I think that only works if you're buying a Nokya phone
Sounds like an episode of Mr. Magoo
At least these spies don't steal your plans for a planet sized battle ship and reveal a hole that they fire a single torpedo into blowing it up and killing millions aboard, twice
@Lord Vader
Yeah, your design team sucks. You should destroy them!
@Lord Vader
The Death Star was lame anyway, my Lord. A single Borg cube could have destroyed it easily.
@Lord Vader It's obvious these particular spies missed a crucial step: hide your findings in an R2 unit.
@Lord Vader
Well, I mean, it's no bigger than a wombat.
@Lord Vader
Good Lord, I have always wanted to ask. What do you think of Droid marriage? Do not downrank me. I only want to hear the good Lord Vaders opinion.
http://media.photobucket.com/image/gay%20droid%20marriage/brianbogdan/root/march/Gay-Droid.jpg
@Lord Vader Didn't you ignore the suggestion about hiring a contractor to cover up that hole?
@Lord Vader
Dang bothan spies
@Tito
In all fairness it was ray shielded. It was an exhaust vent, so it couldn't be covered up. Though a one-way valve may have helped.
@Lord Vader
I know you've already Force Choked all of the above, sir, for their incessant and sneering comments.
They probably did not get behind 7 proxies, that is the only reason they got caught.
@nigra
no, they actually got caught because the numbers actually start at 100
(all Americans know about 123 Fake St.)
So were the Feds able to break whatever encryption if they used any?
No wonder they got caught.
I hope Engadget is monitoring e-mails of that Vladislav Savov guy, he could be sending the latest iPhone updates to Putin.
@Sea Urchin
Dick move.
@Sea Urchin It's a joke, i am from Russia my self and believe it or not my name is Vladislav as well.
Damn
Hint: They shouldn't have spoken with any real people.
Personally, as a professional spy, I prefer to contact my employers through facebook status updates (such as "totally not taking pics of a nuclear waste facility, lol"). No one will ever know. Dasvidanya!
Huh, Medvedev shouldn't just copy those "spy 1/2/3" contacts from his nokia to iPhone and than sync it all to iTunes. That was a bad idea
You're kidding! I live on 98 Fake Street! This is my neighbor!
@KnoxHarrington what?! I live right down the block at 123 fake st. funny I've never seen you guys around
@KnoxHarrington
I'm across the street at 100 Fake! This is so strange! I never would have guessed! They were so quiet and always kept to themselves!
As dumb as I like to think our government is, it makes me feel good that enemy spies are even dumber ...
I thought this was a movie sequel...
No matter what anyone says, this will turn into a great movie. I bet there's a Hollywood producer trying to fill out the cast right now.
@Zalgo I hear Mel Gibson can be hired cheap these days...
us still affraid of russians ? or seeking new enemy after iraq ?
us still afraid of Russians ? or seeking new enemy after Iraq ?
Better watch out for the illegal fireworks in 123 FAKE ST. ;D
"Had they used ultra-wideband radio, however, the investigator's task would probably have been all but impossible."
Note to self...