The rise of the digital spies

The rise of the digital spies


This shows such tools are now being used in the political arena, whereas in the past they have typically been mass-market devices which individuals used to detect affairs, make home pornography and to bribe high-profile people.

There is also increasing availability of spying devices that can track vehicles and tap conversations and messages fluorescent lights sent over mobile phones without alerting the users.

Furthermore, many spy cams and digital recorders are now disguised as innocent, everyday objects, such as cigarette boxes or fountain pens. These can be placed in key locations without arousing suspicion in the targets. There are even models built into sunglasses, allowing a miniature DVR camera to inconspicuously record whatever the wearer sees.

"Hidden cameras have evolved in shape and design and can now take various forms that are hard to detect, from pens, watches and car keys to buttons in clothing," said Prinya Hom-anek of the Thailand Information Security Association (TISA) committee.

Such devices used to be employed to capture still images but have evolved over the past four to five years to support digital video and typically come at a price ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 baht. Most are imported from Taiwan.

However, there is also anti-surveillance technology available which can be used to fight back against invasions of women handbags privacy. Such devices can detect reflections from camera lenses and thus identify any hidden units.

However, surveillance technology goes beyond cameras. There are also car-tracking devices no bigger than matchboxes which can be hidden inside a vehicle and relay the target's location, while personal jammers can shut down mobile phone signals in specific areas, whether short-range (10 to 15 metres) or long-range (100-200 metres).

Prinya added that there are also surveillance-type Trojans which hackers can attach to smart phone applications that are either pre-installed or which users are encouraged to download. These allow hackers to eavesdrop on conversations and any SMS or MMS data sent to and from the handset.

Thus users should be aware of the importance of setting passwords to protect against unauthorised installations. This is especially relevant to famous people, who should also be careful to only use trusted individuals when repairing or updating handsets.

"Some important people may not realise that when they get receive expensive smart phones as gifts, they may contain pre-installed spying software," said Prinya.

Digital spying is primarily employed Led lamp to steal business and trade secrets, although personal and political reasons are often motivations, too. The use of such technology can threaten national security.

Therefore, people need to be aware of the threat and be prepared to assess or monitor and detect any suspicious devices or behaviour.

"We need the right people and right equipment to counter this threat," said Prinya.

The greatest danger is not the technology itself, but rather a lack of awareness among people, especially those with a high public profile, who may have accepted compromised smart phones as gifts without realising they contain surveillance Trojans.