August, 2011

Audio Surveillance Software — Comments Off
31
Aug 11

Call Logging Services and Devices

Your covert operations might be as simple as purchasing a device that will log and display all incoming calls to your phone line, also known as Caller ID.

You will need to subscribe to this service from your network provider (which you should note will show up on your phone bill). In addition, you will either need a phone that can display the incoming number or a Caller ID box.

(The name of the incoming caller is not provided with the service in certain countries, including the U.S.). These are not simple devices to conceal. But depending on where and how it is installed, the other phone-using members of the household will not necessarily know it is there. Or if they do see it, perhaps their reaction to its existence will be revealing in itself.

If you are using a covert recording device to monitor your phone line, you can use a touch tone recorder (roughly $100), which will “listen” to dialed phone tones and display the numbers on the screen. Because this device has a microphone built into it, you don’t need to connect it to the recorder. To make use of this device, however, you will need to record the touch tones that are dialed on the phone using a tape recorder or digital recording device, one that is concealed near enough to the target phone. Computer technology, however, might offer you better comprehensive options…

Telephone Monitoring — Comments Off
31
Aug 11

Tap a cell spy with undetectable cell spy

A telephone tap is a device that connects directly to a telephone that enables you to listen to phone conversations and also record them. It got its name of “phone tap” or “wire tap” from the fact that the earliest models would be attached directly to the phone wires of the user being monitored and would draw a small amount of the electronic signal carrying the conversation.

Today phone taps come in many forms, and they are still used by law enforcement agents to gather information in a manner that, while controversial, is legal. This process is referred to as “lawful interception,” and the privilege doesn’t exactly extend to you and me. In some places, the act of installing a phone tap is illegal in itself.

These are things you should be aware of when you go the road of audio surveillance. In any case, it’s all the more reason to make sure you get the job done right, in undetectably sublime fashion!

In the past, you would have to do a lot of work to reap the rewards of a tapped phone. You would have to sit somewhere in the vicinity of the tapped line and physically transcribe what you heard over your earphones. Today, when you tap an analog phone, you can record the conversations without having to be there when they occur. To maintain the tap, all you need to do is change the tape on the recording device according to its duration. The best taps can signal the recorder to kick into action only when the phone line is in use.

The ability to tap phones also has become much easier for cable companies providing digital phone services. All they have to do is get their centralized computer system to record the digital information that travels over their wires (in the form of the 0’s and 1’s of binary digits) and store it on their computer network.

Even though your own powers of telephone surveillance are for the most part limited to recording on your own phone line or one that you have direct access to, digital technology has made life easier for you as well. It is now possible to record both analog as well as digital phone calls by connecting recording devices up to computers, which can convert the conversations into digital format and save them as sound files.

Stealth Spy — Comments Off
29
Aug 11

Key Logging Hardware – stealth spy

One more option with regard to key logging is using hardware instead of software. There are small electronic devices that attach directly to a keyboard and record keystrokes without having any dependence on the computer’s processes. It’s like a “tap” that is paying attention to which keys are pressed and in what order. This means no software installation at all.

The key logging device stores the keystrokes in its own memory, which in most cases can keep more keystrokes than you will ever have time to trawl through. The advantages of this method include fast and uncomplicated insertion and removal of the device and the fact that, once removed, the data on the device can be viewed easily on another computer.

In addition, because the hardware is only interested the physical keyboard, the device will work on any computer, no matter what operating system it is (it only needs the computer to steal enough power to operate).

Key logging hardware can be smaller than a triple A battery and can be concealed in an “extra” length of cable that will attach the existing keyboard cable to the port at the back of the computer. A drawback of this device – as with many hardware devices – is its cost, which can be upward of $200. Amateur hobbyists, however, will find a worthy challenge in building one from scratch, which, with the right recipe, will cost under $20.

Monitoring software — Comments Off
29
Aug 11

Advanced Computer Monitoring software

There are more advanced ways to keep tabs on someone’s computer activity. If you’re not having any luck searching traces of past activity, there are ways to generate a record of the process of a user’s activity. It is even possible to remotely access that record and be alerted to any activity immediately after it occurs.

recording is done all before the computer itself processes the input. The result is not pretty, but this text file will contain all sorts of juicy details, such as passwords and login details that only appear as hidden symbols on the user’s screen.

Key loggers work at the level of basic computer operations, so it is necessary that when the user inputs various keystrokes, the logger will output all of the “codes” associated with the keystrokes of special characters (so, for example, it will indicate that the user has pressed the Shift key to specify a capital letter). Some key logging software has more advanced features, such as a function that streamlines the keystroke log so that you are able to read it more coherently.

But as any master spy will tell you, there is a potential drawback in that some of the vital details may be lost in translation, and sometimes it just pays to do the extra deciphering work.

The most important factor to consider when implementing key logging software is that it will be absolutely and completely undetectable to the user who is being watched.

When someone installs software on a computer, it usually shows up in a list of “programs” or “applications” that is easily accessible from the start menu. Good key logging software is designed so that it will not show up here as installed – which would, of course, defeat the whole point of the exercise.

Another way that users view what programs are operating AS they are working at the machine is by opening the Task Manager. Pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete will open the Task Manager.

In MAC computers, it’s called the “Activity Monitor,” and can be found through the Applications, then Utilities menu. Good key logging software will also hide itself from detection here as well. There are a couple ways for you to access this treasure trove of data after your key logger has mined it for you.

The first is through the same computer on which the software is installed. You will be able to set up your own password (usually a sequence of keystrokes) that will allow you to move back and forth from the secret surveillance mode that watches and records another user, to an administrator mode, in which you can read and review their input. It is also possible with some software to access the log data remotely.

It sets up their system so that a record of their activity is instantly generated and sent to you via email, all in good stealth, so to speak. This record is delivered to you in the form of “activity reports” that can include the user’s emails, online chat and instant messages, and websites viewed in addition to keystrokes.

You can set the interval at which you want to receive the reports. And, in the rare event that the person you are spying is also spying in you, you will find out right away when you start seeing your own emails sent back your way!

Spy Software — Comments Off
28
Aug 11

Computer Monitoring software

Given that computers are still the relative new kid on the block with regard to communication technologies, they are also the newest way to spy. There are several advanced methods that you can use to monitor and track the activity and communication of someone else online, but it’s also important not to forget about the basics.

Basic Computer Monitoring Skills

History function
Web browsers contain some basic information about the user’s activity. First there is the “History” function, which will yield a chronological list of recently visited websites. You can use a keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+H) to view the user’s browsing history, or the History icon located on the horizontal menu at the top of the screen (there is also a drop-down menu you can use to locate this function). In Microsoft Internet Explorer, there is a blue clock icon with a green arrow (pointing back in time) for the History function.

In Mozilla Firefox, the History is located in the drop-down menu under “Go.” In both, the keyboard
shortcut Ctrl+H will work, and there is also a “Search” function that allows you to search for keywords among the web pages listed in the browsing history.

 

Tracking “Cookies”
Another basic way to monitor computer use is by viewing what are called web “cookies.” Cookies are used in an exchange between the browser (what you see and interact with onscreen – the interface) and the browser (the thing that “talks” to the browser and delivers what you see on the screen).

Cookies are little packets of textual information designed to verify certain websites and maintain some information about your interaction with them, such as site preferences and settings or the contents of an electronic shopping cart.

You can access these cookies through the drop-down menu at the top of the screen under “Tools.” In Firefox, select “Options,” then select “Privacy” (the icon with the padlock). At the lower left of that window, you can select “View Cookies.”

In Internet Explorer, from the Tools menu, select “Internet Options,” then the tab that says “General” (if it is not already selected). In the middle of that window, you’ll see “Temporary Internet Files.” Select “Settings” and then select the “View Files” button. Like the browser History, this list is searchable.

Cache
Finally, all Internet enabled computers maintain a “cache,” which is a temporary file store related
to all web pages visited by a user. It allows pages to load faster when they are re-visited at
a later time. The cache can offer a good map of a user’s recent activity, since often users leave
the files in there undeleted or simply do not know it exists.

In Internet Explorer, the cache entries are found in the same list of files that displays tracking cookies, and are accessed the same way. In Firefox, these temporary files are found in a different way: go to the address bar in the Firefox web browser and type the following:“about:cache.”

You will see a menu that will link to a list of the cache entries.

It is possible to copy the cache or cookies by simply selecting the list of files and copying some or all of them to a removable storage device (such as a USB “memory stick” or a network drive that will store this file on the web).

This will allow you to view the list from another location at another time. (NOTE: sometimes a website or ad is accessed unintentionally, as in the case with “pop-up” windows, so keep this in mind if and when you find anything of interest).

These basic techniques may provide solid information about where the user has been online. In addition, don’t forget about the obvious: sometimes users leave items in the Recycle Bin before they “empty” it, and sometimes users leave passwords stored using their browser settings for quick access to email or other websites. If the user relies on a “password manager” to remember login details so they don’t have to enter it each time, this information is available in the same menu:

Tools > Options > Passwords tab. Also, the browsing history of users is readily available for viewing, both in terms of web addresses (urls) listed in the address bar drop-down menu, and an itemized list of search phrases, which appears in under the “Go” menu of Firefox.

Spy Software — Comments Off
28
Aug 11

Surveillance & Spy systems

Whatever the situation, often we think that we don’t have the technical knowledge, the money, or simply the power to use them. But that’s not necessarily the case. Many of the spying technologies out there are much easier to understand than you might think – and they are only getter easier.

Not only that, the quality of these devices is getting better (for example, digital cameras can capture images of a person 3,000 feet away with as much resolution as one taken by an older analog camera at 30 feet away). Much of this stuff can be found for dirt cheap.

Surveillance has its uses, and you have the ability to use it. But whether you’re taking the first steps toward a new hobby, or what seems like the final steps toward resolving a desperate situation, a responsible spy always works within confines of the law, and respects the rights of others. If you’re not sure what’s legal and what’s not where you live, it’s best to find out first. Now it’s time to arm yourself with some simple yet potent surveillance tools and techniques. Soon, you’ll be able to revel in your newfound powers of perspective.

Audio Surveillance Software — Comments Off
27
Aug 11

Audio Surveillance Software – spy tactics

When you talk about audio (and location) surveillance, there’s a few obvious things that come to mind: phone taps, body wires, microtransmitters, tracking devices. Many of these devices have been impressed on our popular imagination through spy thrillers or detective movies. The good news is that most of these methods are available to us in some form.

The not so good news is that many of them are expensive and, in their real-life form as commercial products, are not all that practical or necessary for an amateur spy.

There’s a few simple questions that any spy will need to consider before seizing on any one particular spy tactic:

  • Do you need to identify actual content of a conversation, or is it enough to
    determine the identity of the people talking by hearing just a sampling of
    voices? Or perhaps even a recorded log of inbound and outbound phone
    numbers will suffice?
  • Do you want to listen in to a conversation in “real time,” as it occurs, or
    are you able to entertain the (more convenient) option of recording calls
    and listening to them later?
  • Do you have direct access to the phone or location you would like to tap
    into? Do you require a portable device that allows you to monitor multiple
    locations?
  •  How much do you want to spend?

Short of building your own electronic devices – and there are plenty of hobbyist manuals available to this end – you should expect to fork out anywhere between $25 and $100 for some worthwhile equipment. These questions can help guide you toward the simplest and most potent spy arsenal for our own situation. Now let’s see what’s on offer…

Spy Software — Comments Off
27
Aug 11

Track a cell phone number or PC

We live in a culture where all sorts of devices are continually watching us, recording us, and storing us. When we enter banks or airports, go over bridges, use cash machines, or even stroll through urban centers, we’re often being videotaped. When we make phone calls, we’re reminded that the call may be recorded for quality assurance purposes.

Our computer activity is tracked in a number of ways: by the inner workings of the machine (even the act of deletion leaves a trace); by an Internet service provider that tracks your total online usage; by all of the websites that you know log your visits and transactions you make; and quite possibly many other websites that you don’t know are doing the same.

At every moment in every online computer there are “spyware” applications at war with anti-virus applications. Your email address has been harvested and sold on a virtual black market that has added it to its spam factory.

Every network exchange including email and instant messaging is potentially monitored by your employer. (And, if you happen to be on the FBI’s list for any reason, you can bet your computer is being watched, and maybe your phone and your car and your house as well).

We live in a society where surveillance is a fact of life. Sometimes we don’t take notice. Other times it’s just second nature. Some of us make use of various surveillance techniques ourselves, whether we are monitoring a crying baby down the hall, keeping tabs on the family dog from a remote location, or providing some added security for the prized sports car in your driveway. And, of course, the sacred institution of marriage offers a wonderful opportunity for a wide spectrum of surveillance and counter-surveillance measures.