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Amnesty launches Detekt tool to scan for state spyware on phones and PCsHuman rights group says software represents ‘a strike back against governments’ over covert surveillanceHuman rights experts and technology groups have launched a new tool allowing members of the public to scan their computers and phones for surveillance spyware used by governments.Trade in communication surveillance technologies has grown massively in recent years, with private companies sell off-the-shelf equipment that allows governments to snoop on millions of emails, text messages and phone calls, according to an investigation by the Guardian last year. The Coalition Against Unlawful Surveillance Exports, of which Amnesty is a member, estimates the annual global trade in surveillance technologies is worth more than £3bn and growing.
One such piece of software is FinSpy which, according to The Citizen Lab, is capable of monitoring your daily activity, recording ambient noise with your microphone or taking a picture with your webcam. In addition, it's claimed that FinSpy can take screenshots, monitor your Skype chats and even extract files from your computer.
Detekt is a free tool that scans your Windows computer for traces of known surveillance spyware used to target and monitor human rights defenders and journalists around the world.If you suspect you are at risk of surveillance, learn how to use Detekt here.
Security cameras in homes and businesses around the world are vulnerable to hackers because their owners have not changed the default password, a fact which a Russian website has exploited to create a browsable index of live streams.By visiting the website the Telegraph was able to watch workers going about their business in offices, warehouses and factories and people relaxing in their own homes. A total of 584 vulnerable video cameras in the UK were listed on the website.Worryingly, many of the cameras seem to be baby monitors and are therefore focused on children asleep in their cots.The problem stems from internet-connected security cameras and webcams which have a feature enabling the owner to log-in remotely and check that their home or business is secure. This is a useful ability, but also one that is open to abuse if a strong password is not used.Many people choose to leave the default password in place when they buy the devices – something which is exploitable by people who scan the internet for such devices and attempt to log in. The Russian website pulls together streams from those devices and lists them in an index by country and location. The Telegraph was able to see:• An elderly woman asleep in bed in Wakefield• Children watching television in living rooms and several baby's cots• A man making a cup of tea in his kitchen in Norwich• A mechanic's workshop in London• An empty living room in Acton• Customers paying for items at a newsagents on Baker Street in London• Treadmills at a gym in Manchester• The bar at a pub in Marlow
The hacker who invaded the privacy of hundreds of Britons by creating a website which broadcast private scenes such as children sleeping in bed has told The Telegraph that he did it to “explain” that they were vulnerable – and takes credit for 120,000 cameras now being secured. Now the creator of that site – who has chosen to remain anonymous – has given the Telegraph an exclusive interview over email. He said that the hack was enabled by "laziness and IT ignorance" on the part of the public. Many people choose to leave the default password in place when they buy the devices – something which is exploitable by people who scan the internet for such devices and attempt to log in. “The important thing is to set a password on home devices. The list of devices without a password is not limited by cameras. It could include network scanner, printer, green energy systems, coffee machines. In nearest future it will be home robots, droids, quadrocopters or automobiles,” he said.
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