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Stingray-Like Device Enables Blackmail In S. Africa
New submitter PalmAndy writes to note that: South African Police nabbed some criminals using an IMSI catcher device, similar to a Stingray, in Johannesburg. The article says that it was made in Israel and is worth $2 million. A follow-on story says that it was used for tender manipulation and blackmail of Government officials. A corrupt government official helped procure this device, which in theory is only sold to goverments."
A follow-on story says that it was used for tender manipulation
Ooh. That sounds kinda nice.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
Those devices were invented for that exact purpose. Terrorism is just the chicle justification for the funding...
You are such a racist, assuming it was a black guy by default... SA has like 10% white population, you know, and besides, would a black man even know how to work that device? Also, the white man is more evil. Now that was racist...
Tender
A call for tenders, or invitation to tender (ITT) (often called tender for short) is a special procedure for generating competing offers from different bidders looking to obtain an award of business activity in works, supply, or service contracts. They are usually preceded by a pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ).
sounds like they used it to win government contracts and blackmail government officials that didn't play nice.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
OK I know long cons need some investments, à la little fish to get a big fish, but a 2 million McGuffin just to maybe get something to blackmail is a bit far fetched IMHO.
Moo, happy?
"Stingray" is a trademark name for a device that is generically called IMSI-catcher. You wouldn't call a smartphone an "iPhone-like device".
This doesn't matter. Everything is wonderful now that the country is democratic with free and fair elections.
Yes, the device was made in Israel.
I bet if it was made in USoA, it wouldn't be mentioned in the article.
They may charge $2million for this device, but it definitely is not worth that.
openBTS, a PC and a couple hundred dollars worth of radio gear will enable this "Stingray" functionality.
Paying $2million for something actually worth a thousand or few is just government stupidity.
Since this device was supposedly only available to governments (as if that somehow makes it OK), this is an interesting illustration of the objections in the US to teh plan to backdoor everyone's phone encryption. If the government has the ability, criminals will soon have it also.
This posting is provided 'AS IS' without warranty of any kind, implied or otherwise.
Are you dyslexic or something? Obviously, it was intended to be "cliche", it was close enough - 2 characters traded places, and the context was more than clear...
Do not project your racism on others
For security people scanning for these devices. I'm sure an "official" IMSI catcher detector will cost millions as well, however, there are free detection programs for rooted Android phones, like https://github.com/SecUpwN/And... and https://opensource.srlabs.de/p...
these "gadets" are just software defined radios?
who pays 2M for a sdr?
And that will not remain the first instance. Any anti-security device used by governments will sooner r later make it into the hands of criminals. There will also be homemade ones around, as building them is not that hard and a lot cheaper than 2 Million. The problem is that the encryption of the mobile phone networks sucks, because governments (like the US one) want it that way. Now they are endangering everybody with their stupidity.
Do not project your racism on others
Says the guy who never drove down the wrong neighborhood in .. let's see ... oh yeah, ANY american inner city. Don't bring up slavery like it's some magical answer to everything either - everyone, and I do mean everybody has an ancestor that was a slave. And native americans, jews, and others have also faced terrible atrocities but they didn't embrace an anti-achievement gangsta crime culture because of it.
As long as you PC types refuse to even recognize these facts, let alone provide a good answer to them, you will never convince anybody that doesnt already agree with you. As it stands now, contact with actual blacks is still the leading cause of racism. A few blacks are exceptional because they don't embrace the toxic black crime thug culture, just like every group has exceptional individuals, but as a whole - those who care for their safety avoid majority-black areas with good reason. That is why "white flight" is a thing. It's not some weird aversion to melanin.
Cue the racists who will blame Israel for the actions of blacks.
But all blacks everywhere are perpetual victims so they cannot be held responsible for the choices they make. Treating them just like everybody else - by holding them responsible for what they do - would be racist, somehow. Also you should feel guilty for things that happened a century ago that you had no control over. For Justice!
Being chased out of a bad neighborhood because you're white is not the same thing as institutional racism, not even close.
Slavery and discrimination has had significant effects on black people all the way through the 1950's. That's why the average black household has less wealth than the average white household, even if their wages are increasing. Many white families in America have had generations to accumulate wealth, and were also able to take advantage of government-sponsored housing loans in the early 1900's that were specifically prohibited for people of color.
Black people learned how to be gangsters from white people in the 1920's.
Contact with actual black people will reduce racism, not cause it. If you're a racist, there's a good chance that it's probably because you don't actually know any people of color, other than the ones you see on TV.
Being chased out of a bad neighborhood because you're white is not the same thing as institutional racism, not even close.
Slavery and discrimination has had significant effects on black people all the way through the 1950's. That's why the average black household has less wealth than the average white household, even if their wages are increasing. Many white families in America have had generations to accumulate wealth, and were also able to take advantage of government-sponsored housing loans in the early 1900's that were specifically prohibited for people of color.
Black people learned how to be gangsters from white people in the 1920's.
Contact with actual black people will reduce racism, not cause it. If you're a racist, there's a good chance that it's probably because you don't actually know any people of color, other than the ones you see on TV.
The ones I see on TV are mostly doctors, lawyers, executives, politicians, wise religious leaders, etc. If only real blacks were mostly like them!