GSM Bugs: How To Block Them?

How does GSM's modern blocking scheme operate, and why is it so dangerous? If those questions bother you, this article will help you resolve them. Nowadays, GSM eavesdropping bugs are widely spread, and one can easily buy the necessary equipment over the Internet. There are even discounts and free delivery.

GSM major issues

Various kinds of GSM bugs are designed for work in cars and buildings. In most cases,  it is a small box with a microphone, a GSM transceiver, and a battery. To make that bug work, you'll need to insert a SIM card in it and turn it on. By doing this, you assign a specific phone number to the bug and enable it to use a GSM network of different mobile carriers.

Then you will have to activate the bug by calling its phone number, some of those eavesdropping bugs can work for weeks, and it senses sounds from 10-15 meters (30-50 feet). The main problem of those devices is power consumption because it influences the operating period of the bug instantly. They solve that problem by keeping the bug turned off until it detects any noise in the area.

After that, it will dial the owner's phone number and let you listen to anything around the bug. Also, you can call it yourself, and the result will be the same. That is the most comfortable and cheapest technique of eavesdropping. It is also rather convenient because that GSM transceiver is moderately tiny and can be hidden almost anywhere. It can be mounted in a lamp, computer mouse, power adapter, and many other places.

Cell tower triangulation

Another feature of those bugs is that they can be tracked. It will require a cell tower triangulation. By the way, mobile phones may be tracked the same way. Coordinates of the bug are limited between the three closest base stations, and if you can leave it at somebody's car, you will have a complete map of his daily route.

By the way, many mobile carriers provide tracking services themselves, and they make things easy when it comes to tracking. Some mobile carriers, such as Verizon, even sell personal information to third parties. And the most significant part of users of those tracking services is evildoers, while that service was made for parents that wanted to keep an eye on their kids.

Patterns to defend privacy

But there are some practical ways to save yourself from that kind of tracking and eavesdropping. You may try to use vote scramblers, but they are somewhat problematic because you will have to speak to the microphone and your talker will have to listen to the headphones. Also, the scrambler won't be able to stop the tracking. So, we can recommend using a GSM signal blocker instead. That device will simply cut the bug off its association with the base position and contain the search, as well as any this type of threats.