How to Prevent Cell Phone Monitoring

The ubiquitous cellular phone has become indispensable to people of all ages and backgrounds. With the convenience of modern cellular phones, however, come new security concerns. Care must be taken to prevent others from picking up the phone to install monitoring and tracking applications, which may allow them to listen in to your conversations and to track your every move.

Instructions

1. Familiarize yourself with your specific cell phone's security features and make use of as many as possible. Such features include the activation and setting of data encryption strength and automatic handset lock after specific times of inactivity. As an absolute minimum, set a password requirement, if your cell phone permits, when installing any application designed for your phone. A required password entry can prevent anyone from picking up your phone and installing monitoring or location applications without your knowledge.

2. Turn off your cellular phone and remove the battery if you will be carrying it into a corporate meeting where trade secrets or confidential information may be discussed. Some applications can be remotely activated when a cell phone is turned off, as long as the battery is installed. Many corporate spies have a tendency to make use of such high-end technology in an effort to be competitive.

3. Make a personal review of all applications currently active in your cellular phone. Remove any application you have not personally installed. Perform this regularly, perhaps on a set weekly, bi-weekly or monthly schedule.

4. Consider the use of voice-scrambling applications, if available, for your specific make and model of handset. Examples of such applications include Cryptophone and Cellcrypt, which are both available for many different makes, models and styles of cellular phones.

Tips & Warnings

• Communicate on your cell phone as though others are listening in to your conversations. Because cell phones are, at their cores, simple radio transceivers (transmitter and receiver combined), anyone with the electronics know-how can build simple eavesdropping systems to listen in to your conversations. Never give two or more personal identifiers over the cellular system, and refrain from giving out credit card information over the cell system as well.

• Some small companies have recently begun developing and marketing voice-scrambling applications and technologies for use with various cellular handsets.

References

• Simson Garfinkel: Understanding Cell Phone Security
• Washington University in St. Louis: Security In Wireless Cellular Networks
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Cellular Eavesdropping