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Murdoch Paper Reporters Eavesdropped On Celebrities' Voicemail
Michael_Curator writes "Executives at Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.-owned papers (including current Tory spokesman Andy Coulson) allowed reporters to hack into phone conversations of celebrities and then paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to cover it up. How did famously technologically-challenged reporters manage the feat without BT catching on? Voicemail." The New York Times says a preliminary investigation's been ordered, but the BBC's coverage indicates that a large-scale inquiry is unlikely.
One newspaper alleges that another did this. Why does the summary state, without qualification, that it occurred?
Police say no new evidence means no enquiry.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8143120.stm
One to keep a critical eye on
Signature v3.0, now with 42% less memory usage.
It's not eavesdropping on full conversations - apparently they listened into some people's voicemail accounts by dialing the voicemail and then using default pin codes (eg. 0000 or 1234) to listen to the conversations.
There is not much you can do about it short of either changing your password or disabling voicemail or the carriers could inconvenience their customers by not allowing voicemail from other phone numbers (if that is at all possible)
Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
If you don't lock the door then we can steal everything in your house.
A NYC lawyer blogs. http://www.chuangblog.com/
calling voicemail "hacking" is about as much as my flatulence is "rocket propulsion"
You are correct. It is Scrip Kiddie level Phreaking ;-)
Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
If I would have to guess, Btitish Telecom? (Since they are talking about the BBC)
Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds.There upon the rainbow is the answer to a neverending story
Back in my day, BT = British Telecom.
I would assume that that's what they mean by BT.
Sent from your iPad.
Guess what the intended market for this is.....and that is the used price.
"Sacrifice for the good of The State" - The State
When BT eavesdrop on 10,000 of their customers private communications (by way of PHORM) nothing is done, but when 3000 celebs voicemail are involved they scream bloody murder.
either intercepting peoples communication (of any kind) is illegal or its not, and if it is illegal why are there no prosecutions and conspiracy charges brought upon all DPI operators ?
my ADSL internet goes down the same phonelines as voice but somehow its "different"
after all they keep telling us if you have nothing to hide....
This was originally a Guardian Story. It relates to mobile phones, not BT landline.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jul/09/newsoftheworld-newsinternational
I say let's call them "PIN kiddies" :-)
Ezekiel 23:20
According to the media, you are a hacker if you are even aware that default passwords can be used to bypass a security system. You are a hacker if you are capable of doing anything with a computer without a big corporation babying you along.
The media has no clue about hackers. The New York Times is the same paper that has articles about "cool new software" to do things like digital post-it notes -- in the year 2009. Do you really expect them to differentiate between hacking and simply using a default password?
Palm trees and 8
They weren't doing that. RTFA, they'd call the number and then dial the default PIN to try to access the voicemail. If the PIN hadn't been changed from the default, they'd be able to listen to all the messages.
Alexander Peter Kristopeit bought his basement from his mommy for one dollar.
Celebrity 1: "Hey dude"
Celebrity 2: "Hey dude"
Celebrity 1: "What's up?"
Celebrity 2: "Nothing"
Celebrity 1: "Wanna party?"
Celebrity 2: "That would be totally awesome"
Celebrity 1: "OK, see ya soon. Save Tibet and all that shit."
Celebrity 2: "And the whales too man."
Might as well burn a couple books, as well. And while we're at it, we should round up teachers, doctors, artists, the intellectuals and re-educate them.
Hi, I Boris. Hear fix bear, yes?
I see you left your window open, so I used my sound recording device to make some recordings of your conversations and daily routine.
Illegal on my part, but completely your fault for allowing to happen. Your phone operator is free and clear.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
It's a bit more like complaining that somebody went through your luggage when you never changed the code on the lock from the default 1234.
The fact that person A was stupid and made it easy for person B doesn't make person B any less a scumbag who should be taken out back and shot.
"Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies."
If someone interested in their privacy can't be bothered to figure out how to change their own password on their phone, why would they be upset when someone else listens?
For the same reason if I leave my front door open I'd be upset to find someone wandering around inside my house.
Not actively keeping someone out, is in no way the same thing as inviting them in.
Sports photographers, even for Soccer, use a 300mm to 400mm lens at most. A 1200mm lens would only be effective at taking pictures of things half a mile away or more (depending on the size of the thing, of course). The minimum focus distance for that bad boy is 46 feet, practical only if you're the poor photographer who is deprived of a sideline pass and are forced to take pictures from the nosebleeds. But then again, why would you spend $90,000 (the actual MSRP) on one if you were?
I expected this typical regurgitation from those not used to thinking.
If you don't do something different you will continue to get the same results.
If you don't want the same results, do something different.
If you don't trump their power, they will continue as usual.
If you continue to spew mantra, you will eventually obscure the problem.
Then you are part of the problem.
If you like taking it up the ass from the media, by all means bend over and grease up.
Don't expect everyone to join you just because you have a pre programed general issue mantra.
*Repent!Quit Your Job!Slack Off!The World Ends Tomorrow and You May Die!
Right, so your alternative is to assault the local news guy reporting on the new kitchen being opened up on the corner of broadway and 2nd?
I believe this is a intellectual forum. A forum for intellectuals. Maybe this isn't the best place for you to hang out.
Hi, I Boris. Hear fix bear, yes?
To see who has a problem with this, but is A-OK with connecting to any random unprotected WAP they can find.
The UK mobile network voicemail systems are very very insecure.
Fake your caller ID (very easily done if you have half a clue) and dial into the message centre for whichever network the mobile number's on.
That's it. Simple. We've been doing this since 2004 to enable our customers to retrieve voicemail from their desktops.
It doesn't matter whether there's a PIN on the voicemail or not - none of the networks prompt for PINs if the caller ID is one of theirs.
And, to answer the question, "How did famously technologically-challenged reporters manage the feat without BT catching on?"
1 - It wasn't the reporters who did it, it wasy the PIs they hired
2 - What have BT got to do with it?
Nick.
You young whippersnappers! In my days, BT meant "big tits"! And that is how it should always be!
Now get off my lawn!
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
Not only that, they will get away with it too.
A police inquiry has already been ruled out. The Crown Prosecution Service "review", will amount to just that. Any parliamentary inquiry will likely be muted, and satisfied with only the resignation of the Tory's PR man Andy Coulson (Former News of the World Editor) as a tit for tat retribution for the resignation of Labor's PR man Damian McBride. Those bugged will be paid off(some already have been) with settlements that will hardly dint Rupert Murdoch's News International's $21 billion chest. The press complaints commission is the industry's "self regulation" body, paid for by the newspapers themselves.
They will get away with this.
This skullduggery that News International paid private investigators to carry out; hacking, wire fraud, misrepresentation, etc, has been going on for at least a decade. One of the victims mentioned, Charlotte Coleman's, died in 2001 when they paid for someone to obtain a list of friends and family from her parents phone. Victims include TV celebrities, Royal family members, CEOs and members of parliament. These people paid someone to put a camera in a room where Max Mosley(67) was having sex. They printed some of it next to the regular outrages they print every single day. There is absolutely no limit to what these people will do.
They will get away with this.
The culture that brought this about is worst at the News of the World newsroom, but it is by no means confined to that place. It's pervasive throughout Murdoch's publications, and probably beyond. News International papers, the Mirror, the Daily Mail, the Observer, the list goes on. Steve Whittamore's(the private investigator) papers show over 13,000 from over 300 journalists. And this is all from only one such man. Who knows how many other investigators exist, an industrialized cottage industry for illegal snooping.
They will get away with this. The culture runs too deep, and is too established. Too many newspapers are in on it. Too many people have too much dirt and are all too ready to print it if anyone tries to reign in a media that has grown so grossly over-mighty. Nothing is sacred, no one is safe, and no one can defend themselves from the hounds that the moguls can set upon them. What chance does anyone have if CEOs and MPs phones are being tapped?
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you, Your Fourth Estate.
May the Maths Be with you!
why would you spend $90,000 (the actual MSRP) on one if you were?
because those 1200mm, $90,000 lenses are all hand made by Canon. Sports Illustrated owns one, for example. If you do any wildlife photography it's pretty damn hard to get close to many animal in their natural habitat. it's not too hard to see how 1200mm focal length has uses. Like most other lenses, there's a niche in which it thrives in, and it just doesn't happen to be in the small, man-made stadiums you're used to.
I doubt the lens that has held the "Longest Prime" title for over 15 years was designed specifically for paps. people without $90,000 could get passable 1200mm action with a sighting scope, ring adaptors and some multipliers (probably f/11). No need for a paparazzi to plunk down almost a hundred thousand if tabloids are printing iphone photos.
No, they share no blame at all. They are victims, lets not blame them.
Lets not buy into the shared fault crap that was started by the insurance companies so they wouldn't ahve to pay out on car insurance claims.
Be default we should be able yo leave our doors unlocks, the keys in our car, our windows open, and not ahve to worry about being a victim of a crime.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
I fail to understand your point?
In both cases, you are accessing someone else's "property" without explicit invitation or permission, simply because you can.
It's a bit more like complaining that somebody went through your luggage when you never changed the code on the lock from the default 1234.
The fact that person A was stupid and made it easy for person B doesn't make person B any less a scumbag who should be taken out back and shot.
Though I agree with your statement, I think it's also rather hypocritical (not neccessarily of you) for people on Slashdot to defend people from having their stuff stolen because their "secutiry" sucks, while in the same breath, lambaste Microsoft for poor security and lauding the people who break into their systems to exploit the holes (which you CAN NOT say doesn't happen here) I've been running across this again and again here lately where people have a double standard that if One person/group/OS/hax0r does one thing it's ok, so long as it doesn't impact the new "Kool-Aid flavor of the month" here. Yet it is supposedly inherently wrong for anyone at anytime to break into ANYTHING just because it was "easy" to do so.
"This is the value of a summer spent and a winter earned"
I believe this is a intellectual forum. A forum for intellectuals.
Your arrival at this place of intellectual discourse must be relatively recent.
Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
I had written a fairly long post on how you were wrong, but the more I wrote, the more I realised that everything I believe is at fault.
I lock my car because I expect it to be stolen if left unlocked, and I expect the insurance company to not pay out for the theft because I left it unlocked. Why is this? I should expect the insurance company to pay out for my loss in any eventuality for which I am insured! That's the purpose of insurance!
Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
Murdock. Rupert Murdock? Wasn't Skype taken over by Rupert Murdoch? Skipe having backdoors that allow undetected eavesdropping? I always wondered what he wanted with Skipe. Now I see the whatever billions he paid for Skipe turning out to be just an old man with a toy.