ELSA: How the CIA tracked the location of an infected PC using WiFi signals

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The latest WikiLeaks release talks about ELSA, reportedly a CIA project that allowed the government (and now, apparently, everybody) to snoop on the l
[See the full post at: ELSA: How the CIA tracked the location of an infected PC using WiFi signals]

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Elly

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Vess Bontchev notes that there’s an open source product that does pretty much the same thing, to help track down stolen devices. Preyproject.com

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Elly, jelson, Bill C.

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woody wrote:

Vess Bontchev notes that there’s an open source product that does pretty much the same thing, to help track down stolen devices. Preyproject.com

We’ve been using Prey on a few key laptops for years now.  It works very well if you need to geo-locate or track a lost or stolen device, and has some nice features like the ability to toggle the cam on a laptop or phone to view the thief.

 

~ Group "Weekend" ~

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Scarey but hilarious at the same time, the “Big Brother” dimension is enough to get the privacy\civil liberties bunch in to a agitated state. The hilarity of the matter is that on my laptop about once in a while it actually tracks me down to within a few blocks, but never right down to within the 100 yds or meters its supposed to. Most of the time it has me living across town.
Hope they arent using Windows update for that “lil spyin app” there because they sure arent going to catch many bad folk lol 🙂
Apple ipad however is nearly a 100% on the money with its tracking but after the locked Apple phone legal spat the FBI or one of those law\Spy agencies had a bit back, then I guess the “Snoops & Spooks” arent exactly on talking terms with the Apple bunch at the moment.
Well should I consider life on the run or a criminal career at least I can take my laptop with me.
Like to see how that works in the vast areas of the Canadian bush and or wilderness, they may be lucky if they get the right Province never mind the nearest tree 🙂

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It depends on how the geolocation is set up. Most of the time if I’m using Google or shopping online, my locations is not accurately known. That’s using IP address as the main identifier. But there are additional methods which are far more precise.

-- rc primak

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A question, noting the link posted in the above blog entry, is…

Do you really want your address logged as having visited the WikiLeaks web site? Do people who go there end up on certain lists? 🙂

-Noel

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A very good point indeed Noel.

Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you recognize a mistake as soon as you make it again.

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Noel Carboni

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Noel Carboni wrote:

A question, noting the link posted in the above blog entry, is… Do you really want your address logged as having visited the WikiLeaks web site? Do people who go there end up on certain lists?  -Noel

Tongue firmly tucked in cheek: Placing tin foil hat delicately on head

Theory one: talking about not going there may be just as likely to land one on such a list . . .

Theory two: if everyone goes to that link, then the “list” becomes next to useless . . .

Tin foil hat off now.  😀

~ Group "Weekend" ~

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Elly, Noel Carboni

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Being born is probably enough to be put on several lists…

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? says:

interesting description on how to implement ELSA, since it is built to deploy on windows 7. i’m glad i browse using firefox on temporal ubuntu in memory only session…

first visit to wikileaks, probably not the last especially due to the included “operator’s manuals” for some of the recent hacks, gives me explicit instructions on just how to tell if the gremlins are messing with the (windows) system…

but hey, what in the world do i have for hackers to monetize? if “they” were to have an interest in my interweb computing and (somehow) wreck my system, i’m rebuilt and back up in minutes…

patiently awaiting the green lite for june (bug) patches

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Actually, there are a lot of variables that are used to pin point  the location of a person.  Your water and electric bill payments, for one.  ‘They find who pays the bills and adding other locating factors, together they triangulate to your exact location. They equipment the government uses is quite complex.

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