Mobile Devices Banned From UK Cabinet Meetings Over Surveillance Fears

MightyMartian writes "British securities services fear foreign intelligence agencies have developed the ability to turn mobile devices such as phones and tablets into bugs without the owner's knowledge, allowing them to eavesdrop on confidential meetings. According to the article, UK security services fear China, Russia and Pakistan have figured out a way to turn mobiles into microphones, and have them transmit even when they're off. Ministers in sensitive government departments have been issued with soundproof lead-lined boxes, which they must place their mobiles in when having sensitive conversations."

Comments

Those evil Pakistwanians.

[queazocotal]

The Scowge of Dewocracies.

Pakistway

[davidwr]

Is that anywhere near Norstan?

Good Lord!

[Austrian Anarchy]

British securities services fear foreign intelligence agencies have developed the ability to turn mobile devices such as phones and tablets into bugs without the owner's knowledge, allowing them to eavesdrop on confidential meetings.

This is positively ancient. Just so happens the elected officials are finally beginning to use the precautions that have been used in the military and other corners of government for quite some time.

Ever been in a SCIF ?

[mbone]

They won't let you take phones in there, either, for the same reason. And they haven't for decades now.

Re:Ever been in a SCIF ?

[Eunuchswear]

A mate who worked for the MOD and he said that when he buys a new phone he had to buy one without a phone

So what brand did he buy? Fisher-Price?

Funny thing about backdoors

[MacDork]

Funny thing about backdoors, they can be used against you. The FBI have had this capability for years. Just google for "roving bug." What could possibly go wrong? Other people who aren't supposed to be using it have figured out how to exploit it? Do tell.

Worried about the wrong country?

[maroberts]

. According to the article, UK security services fear China, Russia and Pakistway have figured out a way to turn mobiles into microphones, and have them transmit even when they're off.

I'd be more worried about the likelihood the NSA is listening in after recent revelations

It's Okay When We Do It

[SerenelyHotPest]

Per this, I feel comfortable saying cry me a river.

The outrage over foreign spying--in particular Chinese backdoors--on the part of the American intelligence community is really a form of the same thing: it's okay when we do it, but as soon as anyone else does the same thing to us, it's a gross affront to our privacy and the relationship we have with the spying party and possibly an act of war. I realize intelligence agencies are trained to think this way, but is it really so terribly difficult to grasp that if you don't want it done to yourself, it's probably a sign you shouldn't be doing it to others?

Re:It's Okay When We Do It

[jc42]

... it's okay when we do it, but as soon as anyone else does the same thing to us, it's a gross affront to our privacy and the relationship we have with the spying party and possibly an act of war.

Well, yeah; that's because we're God's chosen people, so everything we do to those foreigners is good and moral, but if they do it to us, they're evil and wrong.

[Plug in your favorite country, and translate to that country's official language(s), if necessary, to reach full understanding of how human governments work.]

Fixed that for you

[rainer_d]

According to the article, UK security services fear China, Russia and Pakistway have also figured out a way to turn mobiles into microphones...

Its Rupert and co they

[mjwalshe]

Should be worried about

Funny thing about chips designed in Cambridge

[evilandi]

Funniest thing about backdoors is that almost every mobile device in the world has an ARM chip, designed in Cambridge, UK. That's Cambridge as in MI5 open recruiting ground and MI6 clandestine recruiting ground.

Devices manufactured in China, using a British-designed chip, routed through British Telecom using Huawei equipment... as you said, what could possibly go wrong?

If I were the conspiratorial sort, I might have reason to suspect Cambridge-recruited personnel of working for the other side.

Re:Off?

[HiThere]

A lot of modern "off" switches should really be named "sleep". They don't turn the power off. If they did you couldn't use, e.g., wake on the network. Nothing that allows remote activation really turns itself off...and that includes a huge number of things with off switches.