Spying -- Engadget

spying posts

DocuPen X hits earth for all your pen scanner needs

by Laura June posted Nov 8th 2009 at 8:02AM

Thinking maybe you can't live another day without finally breaking down and purchasing a pen scanner? We can sympathize. There are plenty on the market, but the newly hatched DocuPen X Series is mildly more interesting than most out there. They've managed to cram 64MB of memory, Bluetooth, a tiny OLED screen and a lithium ion battery all in that tiny package, and if you're the sunflower seed-eating, alien-hunting type, you probably want one of these for scanning your files at up to 600 dots per inch. DocuPen's teensy X Series scanners start at $370.

Etisalat BlackBerry update was indeed spyware, RIM provides a solution

by Darren Murph posted Jul 21st 2009 at 9:41AM

Um, yikes? An unexpected (and unwanted) surprise struck some 145,000 BlackBerry users in the UAE this time last week, when an official looking prompt coerced many of the aforesaid Etisalat customers to follow through with a software update. Rather than bringing about performance enhancements, the SS8-built app enabled the carrier to keep tabs on customers' messages. According to RIM:

"Etisalat appears to have distributed a telecommunications surveillance application... independent sources have concluded that it is possible that the installed software could then enable unauthorized access to private or confidential information stored on the user's smartphone. Independent sources have concluded that the Etisalat update is not designed to improve performance of your BlackBerry Handheld, but rather to send received messages back to a central server."

Like we said, yikes. The zaniest part is that Etisalat isn't backing down, still assuring the world that the upgrades were "required for service enhancements." At any rate, RIM has made remarkably clear that the update wasn't one authorized by the company, and it's even providing an app remover for those who'd prefer their BlackBerry to be in working order and, you know, not forwarding all their email to some dude in an Etisalat supply closet. Good on you, RIM. Bad on you, Etisalat.

[Thanks, Gerald]

Read - Confirmation of spyware
Read - RIM app remover

Ask Engadget: What's the best GPS tracker for under $300?

by Darren Murph posted Jun 5th 2009 at 12:28AM

Think fast! You've just stumbled upon this week's episode of Ask Engadget, and just like those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books from yesteryear, you've a few choices here. One is to leave like a coward; another is to really dig in and contribute; and another is to drop some knowledge and send in a question of your own to ask at engadget dawt com. While you ponder which route is best for you, here's Matthew's plea:

"There are so many GPS trackers on the market today to choose from. I'm just looking for basic monitoring abilities and decent battery life, and of course I want one that's as small and discrete as possible. Which is the best one for less than $300?"

No need to confess in comments what you use your own tracker for (trust us, we could narrow it down on our own), but do tell if you've found a winner. Bonus points if your module has landed your scandalous SO on a recent episode of Cheaters.

Video: UK Home Secretary delays 1984 by a few years

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Apr 27th 2009 at 10:06PM

The UK Home Secretary (whatever that is) has put the kibosh on plans for a giant government database that would track all of the country's emails, phone calls and internet activity. But not so fast, civil libertarians! According to the Telegraph, the onus will merely shift to the private sector -- with telecoms and Internet providers being required to retain the data, at a cost of around £2 billion (over $2.9 billion US). According to the plan, every Internet user will be given a unique ID code that the government can use to access the data in the event of a threat -- whether terrorist, criminal, or extraterrestrial. It just goes to show you how lucky Britons are to have a government that cares so much about their well being. Video after the break.

Continue reading Video: UK Home Secretary delays 1984 by a few years

Thanko's own necktie doubles as spy camera, naturally

by Darren Murph posted Apr 14th 2009 at 9:36AM

A necktie from Thanko -- you could tell this thing was only fit for a double agent already, couldn't you? Freshly introduced and ready to draw attention to your poor taste, this here spy tie includes a built-in video recorder along with a minuscule handheld remote used to turn it on and off. The video camera itself is installed on a USB-equipped slab of flash memory (4GB, or about four hours of low resolution footage), making those tie-to-PC transfers extra snappy. And at ¥12,800 ($128), it comes off as a bona fide steal compared to less useful alternatives in Bloomingdale's. Our only lingering question? What's a brother got to do to get a clip on version?

[Via AkihabaraNews]

Simple keystroke sniffing schemes work where keyloggers won't

by Darren Murph posted Mar 27th 2009 at 9:01AM

Ah, the wonders of CanSecWest. The famed security conference has delivered yet again in 2009, this time bringing to light two simple sniffing schemes that could be used to decipher typed text when keyloggers are just too noticeable. Gurus from Inverse Path were on hand to explain the approaches, one of which involved around $80 of off-the-shelf gear. In short, curious individuals could point a laser on the reflective surface of a laptop between 50 feet and 100 feet away, and then by using a "handmade laser microphone device and a photo diode to measure the vibrations, software for analyzing the spectrograms of frequencies from different keystrokes, as well as technology to apply the data to a dictionary," words could be pretty easily guessed. The second method taps into power grid signals passed along from PS/2 keyboard outputs, and by using a digital oscilloscope and an analog-digital converter, those in the know can pick out tweets from afar. Check the read link for more, and make sure you close those blinds and pick up a USB keyboard, pronto.

[Via Slashdot]

DARPA contract shines light on real-time video spying initiatives

by Darren Murph posted Oct 21st 2008 at 8:45AM

Only the ignorant and the uninformed would assume that DARPA has never, ever dabbled in any kind of surveillance that wasn't questionable on some level, but a recent contract awarded to Kitware gives us a better idea of just how deep the rabbit hole has gotten. The $6.7 million deal seeks to create a system whereby DARPA can "monitor live video feeds and search large volumes of archived video data for activities of interest," with the point being to match up similar events from past and present in order to prevent an attack, foreshadow a certain event or discover some sort of terrorist trademark. As of now, we're simply informed of the video spying in areas of Iraq and Afghanistan, but given that the capabilities are already here, it could be enacted wherever the government could place a camera-toting manned or unmanned aerial vehicle. Look up and give the friendly skies a wave, won't you? Just don't do anything "suspicious."

[Via Slashdot, image courtesy of PointNiner]

WowWee's Rovio gets reviewed: it's one awesome robotic sentry

by Darren Murph posted Oct 5th 2008 at 5:04PM

WowWee goes out of its way to make one thing very clear about the Rovio: "this is not a toy." That being said, it doesn't make the patrolling sentry any less fantastic, as critics over at Robots-Dreams proclaimed that it was "intuitive and a pleasure to use from the moment you first open the box." From the painless setup process to the unparalleled mobility, reviewers sounded like they were grinning from ear-to-ear during the entire writeup process. It performed its robotic sentry duties with vigor and valor, and the review crew couldn't help but note that this bugger was "positioned to be the hottest robot for the upcoming holiday season, and for a long time to come." In other words, if you've been on the fence about dropping three bills on this thing, all your worries about it potentially sucking just got thrashed.

Erector's $300 Spykee gets a ship date: October 15th

by Darren Murph posted Aug 24th 2008 at 3:09PM

We're not even going to front -- we had all but forgotten about Erector's Spykee. Granted, it didn't do itself any favors by showing off at CES and then doing nothing for the next seven months, but we digress. If a pre-order page on Amazon is to be believed, the Spykee Spy Robot should be released on October 15th. It's sporting a hefty $299.99 price tag and a recommended age of 8-years and up, but we'll need to see some actual shipment notifications later this fall before we really get our hopes up. C'mon Erector, don't let us, um, down.

[Via I4U News]

D-Link's Internet Surveillance kit lets you see two rooms over

by Darren Murph posted Jul 15th 2008 at 11:25AM

Okay, let's get this straight. If D-Link is marketing its new $499.95 Internet Surveillance Starter Kit (and $399.95 Expansion Kit, for the hardcore snoopers) as a method for spying on someone residing within your domicile (save for your infant), you probably need a family counselor -- not a gimmicky IP camera. Now, if D-Link is hoping to tickle the fancy of geeks who'd rather check out a room in low resolution rather than taking four or five steps down the hall, we're pretty terrified about the fate of humanity. Still, the weird(est) part about this thing is the D-Life website which it ties into. Video of your home piped through someone else's servers -- need we say more?

[Via eHomeUpgrade]

Olympus announces 360-degree CCD sensor prototype, surveillance firms drool

by Darren Murph posted Jun 30th 2008 at 1:00PM

Around this time last year, we got wind of CCD-based projectors and cameras from Olympus that were outfitted with a curious "axial symmetrical free curved surface lens." Now, said company is finally providing a few details about its current prototype, which essentially enables 360-degree photographs to be taken. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on perspective), the sensor isn't quite ready to be pushed out into the world, but as you can certainly imagine, it'll likely make a B-line for surveillance outfits just as soon as it's ready.

[Via AkihabaraNews]

Vintage Mr. Microphone hacked into spy device

by Darren Murph posted Jun 16th 2008 at 9:18AM

We've seen the viewfinder of a VHS camcorder hacked into a night-vision headset, but this just might be even more retro than that. For those ~~old~~ seasoned enough to remember Ronco's Mr. Microphone, you may recall just how boring it became after a few short minutes of use. If you somehow managed to not discard the thing over the years, we've found the perfect use for it: a discrete spying device. Essentially, DIYers can strip the innards out, re-solder a few pieces and shove the resulting tidbits into an unassuming air freshener. From there, just tune to whatever open frequency you can find and you've got yourself a wireless eavesdropping tool like no other. Video after the break.

Continue reading Vintage Mr. Microphone hacked into spy device

RIM allows Indian government to monitor Blackberry network

by Nilay Patel posted May 22nd 2008 at 2:28PM

Well, it took longer than 15 days to reach a resolution, but apparently RIM is going to back down and allow the Indian government to monitor the Blackberry network in that country. What's worse, it appears that RIM was more interested in covering its own ass than protecting user data during the negotiations: the only concession the company received from the Indian government was a promise that it won't be held liable if there's a leak of users' personal information. Yeah, that ought to provide a sparkling incentive to keep things safe. There's no word on when monitoring might begin, but we've got a feeling privacy-loving Indians might suddenly be in the market for a new smartphone.

[Thanks, Rishab J.]

UK planning to monitor and record every phone call, web page, and email sent by citizens

by Nilay Patel posted May 21st 2008 at 12:17AM

We're not sure if these plans will ever make it to reality, but the Telegraph is reporting that Britain's Home Office is working on database designed to store the details of every phone call, email, and web page accessed by British citizens in the previous year. The idea is to have various telecom providers hand over their records, which will all go into the database and then be accessible by police upon receipt of a court order. Of course, there's no reason why police couldn't simply ask the ISPs for the appropriate data when they get that court order, since records are already required to be kept for a year, but sometimes it's important for a government to build a massive scary database of personal information with endless potential for abuse by embittered low-level bureaucrats, you know? The plan is still in draft stages, so hopefully it dies on the table -- and if not, well, the NSA welcomes you with open arms, British expats.

[Via National Terror Alert]

QNAP's NVR-1012 network surveillance kit watches goons, your wild offspring

by Darren Murph posted Apr 25th 2008 at 6:31AM

Ever peered up in a dimly lit parking lot only to spot a smattering of cameras peering at your every move? Now you too can have such a sophisticated monitoring system right around your own home thanks to QNAP's NVR-1012. The network surveillance kit is designed to provide "professional grade" live video recording abilities in homes and offices where hoodlums and malefactors tend to linger. The entire system is Linux-based and comes with a single NVR-101 server and a pair of IP cameras; reportedly, the solution is a breeze to install and every recording function can be carried out via an Internet Explorer window. Best of all, you'll even find 2-way audio capabilities, so you can have a quick chat with any caught-red-handed crooks or mischievous youngsters right before the fuzz / man of the house swarms in for capture. Talk about a thrilling way to spend a Thursday evening.