Cell Phone Surveillance Guide

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One of the biggest stories in the field of cell phone surveillance in 2009 is the fight between two reputable firms, FlexiSpy versus F Secure over the latter’s charge that FlexiSpy is some kind of trojan malware which requires F Secure to remove.

Here’s the incendiary charge made on the F Secure website:

“Summary: FlexiSPY is a spyphone application. There are newer versions of FlexiSPY than the variant described here. Current versions exhibit different behavior and are not classified as malware.

“Disinfection Removal using F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus: If you feel you want to remove FlexiSpy from your device, you can do that by doing the following:
• Download F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus from http://phoneav.com and activate the Anti-Virus
• Scan the phone and remove any components of the malware
• Reboot the phone to remove memory resident components
• Go to application manager and remove the “phones” application to remove any remaining components ”

FlexiSpy has pushed back hard against these charges. From a statement on the FlexiSpy website:

“FlexiSPY is not a Trojan, nor a Virus and DOES NOT REQUIRE the purchase of F-Secure Mobile Anti virus products to remove it. An uninstall option is provided for the User, so the application can be removed at any time. Configuration settings are also available to allow frequency of connections, thereby allowing the user to minimize network connections to once daily if required.

Lets look at the facts starting with the definition of Trojan.

A Trojan is software that masquerades as something it is not. It will hide its actual private functional payload under the guise of its public face. A Trojan is installed by deceiving a human that the program will do something totally different to its actual purpose. A Trojan does not normally automatically install itself without conscious human intervention.

A Virus is a software program that spreads itself automatically without any involvement from a human. It is self-replicating, malicious code that attaches itself to an application program or other executable system component and leaves no obvious signs of its presence.

FlexiSPY is activity monitoring software that needs to be consciously installed by a Human, who knows EXACTLY what the software does. It does NOT self replicate, it does NOT pretend to be something it is not, and it ALWAYS requires conscious human action for installation.

Like any other monitoring software there may be a possibility for misuse, but there is nothing inherent in FlexiSPY that makes it illegal or malicious, and FlexiSPY would like to point out that F-Secure comments categorizing FlexiSPY as a Trojan are completely incorrect and they are simply fear mongering to sell a product that really does not have a compelling reason to exist at this time.”

So there, F Secure. (Ouch!)

Compatibility is the name of the game!

Not only the compatibility you share with your Significant Other, but how compatible is cell phone surveillance software with both the target phone and your monitor phone?

There are 5 major SmartPhone platforms:

Symbian 8 and 9
iPhone
Windows Mobile
Blackberry
Android

There are currently no cell phone surveillance manufacturers who can handle all five platforms.

– FlexiSpy handles Symbian 8 and 9, iPhone, Windows Mobile, and Blackberry.

– Mobile Spy handles Symbian 9, iPhone, Windows Mobile, Blackberry.

– Neo-Call handles Symbian 8 and 9, Windows Mobile.

– Mobi-Stealth handles Android.

– Flexispy PRO-X has more features than the other three, and is in a class by itself.

And then there’s the issue of compatibility between you and your Significant Other. Flexispy doesn’t make any bones about the probable use of it’s product. From the Flexispy website:

“Is your spouse is cheating on you? FlexiSPY will tell you the truth

Here are six easy step to catch a cheating spouse. After reading the steps below:

1. Find out if your spouses mobile or cell phone is on our supported phones list

2. Decide which version of FlexiSPY you want. We recommend that you purchase the PROX version as it gives you more possibilities

3. Purchase FlexiSPY using your credit card. The software will be available in seconds for immediate downloading into the phone.

4. At some convenient point get your cheating spouses phone and download FlexiSPY into the device. No cables or computers are required. ( 3 minutes)

5. Activate the software ( 2 minutes)

6. That’s IT! You can now log into your personal web account to see all the activities on the phone

You have full remote control over the device using a special set of SMS command as described in the manual.”

Add the right amount of gall and guile, like the legendary Jake Gittes, and you have all the tools you need — but only if you really NEED to know!

In a field that attracts its share of scammers and fly-by-nighters, there are three manufacturers of cell phone surveillance software who have established themselves as reliable: FlexiSpy, Mobile-Spy, and Neo-Call. A fourth company, Mobi-Stealth, does for Android (Verizon) SmartPhones what FlexiSpy does for the rest of the market.

These are the features of the brand new FlexiSpy PRO-X application:

*Environment Listening ( bugging device)
*GPS and Cell ID Location Tracking
*Call Interception (listen to phone call)
*Email Logging (incoming/outgoing)
*Call History (incoming/outgoing)
*Call Duration (incoming/outgoing)
*Contact Name in Address book linked to each call/sms
*FlexiTRACK – SIM Change SMS Notification (Receive SMS when your mobiles SIM is changed)
*Download all records to spreadsheet
*12 months unlimited device changes, Web account and upgrades

While Mobile Spy and Neo Call offer many similar features, reviewers have looked askance at Mobile Spy for being too easy to detect, and Neo Call for requiring that the software be downloaded onto a PC before installation onto the target phone. Neo Call is the most expensive and has the most cumbersome installation, while Mobile Spy is cheaper and more suited to benign purposes where easy detection is not an issue, such as monitoring your child’s activities, or those of a consenting business associate.

For monitoring a potential stray Significant Other, Flexispy appears to be in a class by itself. Flexispy PRO-X carries almost all features available for this technology.

Installation is easy — once you get past the hard part. One needs to have access to the target phone, which may require a certain amount of guile on the part of the user (also known as The Monitor) if the intent is to install this surreptitiously. Remember, such activity may well violate local, state or Federal Laws governing privacy.

Make no mistake about it — one CANNOT perform remote-installation of this cell phone surveillance software. You MUST have physical possession of the target phone for five-ten minutes.

Flexispy is downloaded directly from the internet to the target smartphone. “Event” information (phone call, text, location, e-mail) is sent to a secure web account where it can be stored and reviewed by The Monitor. Phone calls can be tapped and cell phones turned into spy-microphones and location trackers — but be sure to bring sufficient guile and gall to the endeavor.