Raspberry Pi anti-tracking tool devised by US federal agent

[Jan]

Federal agent makes anti-tracking tool powered by Raspberry Pi

A federal agent and digital forensics expert at the US Department of Homeland Security has built a mobile anti-tracking tool powered by a Raspberry Pi computer, Wired reports.

Matt Edmondson decided to develop the system after a friend working in another part of the government became concerned that they were being tailed on their way to a meeting with an informant who had links to a terrorist group.

 

[Guest 290922]

Federal agent makes anti-tracking tool powered by Raspberry Pi

A federal agent and digital forensics expert at the US Department of Homeland Security has built a mobile anti-tracking tool powered by a Raspberry Pi computer, Wired reports.

Matt Edmondson decided to develop the system after a friend working in another part of the government became concerned that they were being tailed on their way to a meeting with an informant who had links to a terrorist group.

Paranoid. They getting high on own supply.

 

[dualmeister]

So the bad guys just have to disable their WIFI and Bluetooth

 

[RonSwanson]

So the bad guys just have to disable their WIFI and Bluetooth

Yep, but that's a bitch, so most wouldn't.

A good countermeasure to switching it off would be to use 3G /LTE / 5G layer 1-3 analysis in combination with Wifi and Bluetooth. Broadcasting on public spectrum is illegal, I know, but it doesn't apply to federal agents, and it could just be passively listening. Reversing the algorithm (spotting unknowns vs knowns) would also work for rural security use cases (early warning of farm attacks).

Paranoid. They getting high on own supply.

Definitely not, the concept has a lot of potential for security use-cases.

 

[hj007]

That last paragraph is clever about being followed and detection of motor vehicles, in a world of IoT devices.

The film enemy of the state comes to mind.

 

[Ricard]

Wow! the security world will disect this rank amateur .. MAC randomisation is already inside most phones - for anti-tracking! This article is just 'the Emperor has no clothes'

 

[Guest 290922]

Definitely not, the concept has a lot of potential for security use-cases.

Matt Edmondson decided to develop the system after a friend working in another part of the government became concerned that they were being tailed on their way to a meeting.

Thats a bit paranoid they should know if they are being tailed, but they were just concerned.

 

[RonSwanson]

Wow! the security world will disect this rank amateur .. MAC randomisation is already inside most phones - for anti-tracking! This article is just 'the Emperor has no clothes'

MAC addresses are not the only unique device identifiers, there are many of them which can be used.

 

[Ricard]

That is true... but anyone who thinks that RaspberryPi and Kismet is a super tool - is really naive. The whole system can be turned in to a tracker. The Wifi PROBE requests can be quite leaky.

"How do you hide an elephant in the fridge?
Paint its feet yellow and put it upside-down in the butter.

Have you ever seen an elephant in the fridge?
No? - See how effective it is"

The absence of evidence - in this case, someone following them, is not proof.

 

[elf_lord_ZC5]

Interesting