cell phones

[Spooky]

How easy is it to hack into someone's cell phone and steal pics and texts?

[Gottmitunsalex]

How easy is it to hack into someone's cell phone and steal pics and texts?

A cell in particular (a specific number) is pretty tough.

Intercepting a bunch of cell phones is the way many "hackers" do it.
The means of "transporting" the data/voice information that cellular phones utilize is through Cell towers.
20 "customer" phones can be "linked" to a single tower if it is in range.
A hacker can actually be in range of a cell tower (or various) and pickup the different id's for all the cell phones currently linked to that specific tower. Then it varies by the algorithm/encoding & decoding/frequency of the packets that the providers utilize: CMDA/TMDA etc.etc.  the hackers use a "decoder" for a system. There is no "universal decoder" the protocols are different, the packets are different, so it requires a certain decoder for the certain system/frequency.

It's not easy.

[Spooky]

Ah ok, Thanks Alex.

[Bonaventure]

If someone has to hack, they have to put time and effort into it.

If someone loses their phone, though, syncing pics to a computer is a breeze.

[TerrorDæmonum]

Security is most insecure when one has physical possession to an item. Most of the time unless one has taken particular measures with a strong understanding of how it works, one can assume that all is lost on the phone if the phone is physically possessed.

For networking though, it is not an easy thing to compromise. It wouldn't be casual and that was addressed already.

[Spooky]

Very interesting. Thanks guys

[jovan66102]

I've got a related question. I occasionally read Maclean's Magazine (Canada's 'Time') on my Blackberry. Several weeks ago, I noticed several pictures saved on my media card that I had no idea where they came from. Then just the other day I had seen some more and happened to go to the Maclean's site and realised they were all from there. I'm just curious. They don't come in as emails or MMS messages, they go straight to my media card. How?

[TerrorDæmonum]

I've got a related question. I occasionally read Maclean's Magazine (Canada's 'Time') on my Blackberry. Several weeks ago, I noticed several pictures saved on my media card that I had no idea where they came from. Then just the other day I had seen some more and happened to go to the Maclean's site and realised they were all from there. I'm just curious. They don't come in as emails or MMS messages, they go straight to my media card. How?

They are being cached or they are thumbnails.

When you see a thumbnail (small image of something larger), that image is not the original image, but an automatically created smaller version of it.

And if it is a cache, it is saved because it is referenced more than once and having a local copy saves having to download it multiple times. Your browser cache, if that is what program is being used to access this site, must be on the media card. I do not have familiarity with Blackberries, however, if you clear the cache in your browser, if possible and using whatever means your browser uses, you should see those files deleted. Or you could delete them yourself with a file manager.

For example, the first time you go a website with an image on it, you may see the image take a while to load. However, each time you go on that site, the image does not need time to load, that is because a local copy is being used.

[TerrorDæmonum]

This brings up another tangent I suppose.

Files which are "deleted" are not deleted.

Understanding how computers work is necessary for any true security.

Computers cache and retain information most people do not realize. jovan66102 could delete those files he found, and I could take that card and in a few minutes, get those images back, and other images he never knew about or thought he had deleted.

This is why physical possession is so important for security. With physical possession, security is very complicated and difficult, and requires secure encryption and authentication.

For computers, one can have a password on one's computer and manage permissions, etc, but all of that counts for nothing if one has possession of the computer (particularly, the hard disk).

But, remotely breaking into a secured computer is harder and more easily prevented. Remotely accessing a phone is without cooperation of the phone service or any service running on the phone (ie, if one is using an app to access a remote service, that service knows at least whatever that services has access to on the device, sometimes, remote services can have access to more than they should) is difficult.

For this, it means that bad guys will have a hard time getting into a phone without any malware on it. It also means that the government will not have a hard time in general if they have a warrant.

[jovan66102]

I've got a related question. I occasionally read Maclean's Magazine (Canada's 'Time') on my Blackberry. Several weeks ago, I noticed several pictures saved on my media card that I had no idea where they came from. Then just the other day I had seen some more and happened to go to the Maclean's site and realised they were all from there. I'm just curious. They don't come in as emails or MMS messages, they go straight to my media card. How?

They are being cached or they are thumbnails.

When you see a thumbnail (small image of something larger), that image is not the original image, but an automatically created smaller version of it.

And if it is a cache, it is saved because it is referenced more than once and having a local copy saves having to download it multiple times. Your browser cache, if that is what program is being used to access this site, must be on the media card. I do not have familiarity with Blackberries, however, if you clear the cache in your browser, if possible and using whatever means your browser uses, you should see those files deleted. Or you could delete them yourself with a file manager.

For example, the first time you go a website with an image on it, you may see the image take a while to load. However, each time you go on that site, the image does not need time to load, that is because a local copy is being used.

Sorry, but that doesn't work. I very seldom access the Maclean's site. In fact, I've had several instances of pictures showing up on my media card when I hadn't been on the site in weeks. This last time I noticed the pictures on my media card and only later went to the site and realised where they came from.

If it was pictures I've actually accessed and seen I'd be getting them from the Edmonton Sun, which I read daily. However, I've never had it happen with pictures from there.

[TerrorDæmonum]

Sorry, but that doesn't work. I very seldom access the Maclean's site. In fact, I've had several instances of pictures showing up on my media card when I hadn't been on the site in weeks. This last time I noticed the pictures on my media card and only later went to the site and realised where they come from.

If it was pictures I've actually accessed and seen I'd be getting them from the Edmonton Sun, which I read daily. However, I've never had it happen with pictures from there.

It could be a pre-cache. Depending on the images, sometimes, a website will have an image downloaded to the browser before it is used, so when it is used, it is available rather than waiting to load.

This really depends on where they were found on the media card. Can you give more information? I am not familiar with the Blackberry system.

If they are in a folder named something like "cache", "tmp", "thumbs", or the like, it is  clearly something that the system has allocated for caching and thumbnails.

[jovan66102]

It could be a pre-cache. Depending on the images, sometimes, a website will have an image downloaded to the browser before it is used, so when it is used, it is available rather than waiting to load.

This really depends on where they were found on the media card. Can you give more information? I am not familiar with the Blackberry system.

If they are in a folder named something like "cache", "tmp", "thumbs", or the like, it is  clearly something that the system has allocated for caching and thumbnails.

I think you've hit it! I just checked and the word 'thumb' occurs in each extension! Thanks, that clears that up for me.