Silk Road forums

Discussion => Security => Topic started by: Euphoric Status on April 24, 2012, 01:43 am

Title: Anonymous via cellphone network?
Post by: Euphoric Status on April 24, 2012, 01:43 am
I could use my iPhone as a WiFi hotspot (using MyWi) through Verizon. Would this make me anonymous at all or would the cellphone network be able to pinpoint me? I was thinking of using this while using Tor as an extra layer of security, but would it just be better to use someone else's WiFi + Tor? Or maybe a VPN over WiFi + Tor?
Title: Re: Anonymous via cellphone network?
Post by: Kappacino on April 24, 2012, 01:47 am
I'm 95% sure yes, ultimately there would be some evidence that it was your iPhone (I imagine they have individual IDs - but I'm not 100% sure)

Title: Re: Anonymous via cellphone network?
Post by: Euphoric Status on April 24, 2012, 03:12 am
I'm 95% sure yes, ultimately there would be some evidence that it was your iPhone (I imagine they have individual IDs - but I'm not 100% sure)

That's what I thought... alright, thanks for filling me in.
Title: Re: Anonymous via cellphone network?
Post by: Jaurk on April 24, 2012, 03:52 am
I don't think so, I think it might make you more vulnerable.
Though I'm hell hazy right now so I can't figure out my own thoughts.

I think the IMEI is transimitted, so when you connect to your network it'll just be so blatantly obvious.
Perhaps you'll need some more obfuscating software.

I'll wait till someone with more knowledge comes along.
Title: Re: Anonymous via cellphone network?
Post by: FarmerBob on April 24, 2012, 05:54 am
Even with GPS disabled the cell towers can often track your device location to within a few hundred yards or so.  It works by looking at your device signal strength as observed by all the cell towers (with their directional antennas) on the network and estimating where your device must be to generate that set of received signals.  Think of it as you hearing someone scream in the woods (your phone), you can point in the direction where you thing you heard the scream and guess how far away they were but it'd be inaccurate.  But if you had 15 guys (towers) within earshot of that scream and you knew their locations the directions they think they heard it from and their guess on how far away it was you could triangulate on a map the general area it must have come from.

They can always get your IMEI and SIM card info, but if you pay cash for a prepay phone that's no big deal. 

LE can pull your call record also, try to see if you called or texted a friend and then try to trace down who you are from there.

The good news is that the carriers tend to get so much data and usage that they don't have the ability to retain that info forever so it gets deleted after a while.

For very high profile cases the FBI and FCC (domestic) and CIA/NSA (international) have access to some fancy fancy communications tracking equipment that can locate phones anywhere based on signal time-of-arrival.  Lookup "emitter mapper" systems if you want to know more.  For those high profile cases the CIA/NSA can also emulate cell towers and networks, emulate app stores, etc and can occasionally push custom "software updates" to your phone.  Supposedly domestic spying is against the rules so I don't know if FBI has access to that technology but I wouldn't doubt it.

Anyways, if you're cellular internet won't buy you much security if you're using it at home.  But it's no worse than using your home internet.  Just don't be "high profile". 

You could always do what I do, steal wireless

Bob

Title: Re: Anonymous via cellphone network?
Post by: lilith2u on April 24, 2012, 02:36 pm


For very high profile cases the FBI and FCC (domestic) and CIA/NSA (international) have access to some fancy fancy communications tracking equipment that can locate phones anywhere based on signal time-of-arrival.  Lookup "emitter mapper" systems if you want to know more.  For those high profile cases the CIA/NSA can also emulate cell towers and networks, emulate app stores, etc and can occasionally push custom "software updates" to your phone.  Supposedly domestic spying is against the rules so I don't know if FBI has access to that technology but I wouldn't doubt it.


[/quote]    Nothing is against the rules anymore! seriously! They can and do whatever they want now! I can't emphasize this more. The rules were thrown out the window after 911......Its just the way it is now... The NSA does whatever they damn well please! good post though Bob!:)
Title: Re: Anonymous via cellphone network?
Post by: OpticalInfinity on April 24, 2012, 03:53 pm
Android has a Tor port called Orbot: Tor for Android. See if there's an official Tor port for iPhone.
Title: Re: Anonymous via cellphone network?
Post by: tomleepdx on April 24, 2012, 05:09 pm
Android has a Tor port called Orbot: Tor for Android. See if there's an official Tor port for iPhone.

For iOS use Covert Browser.  I think v1.3 is available in installous.  Although its not as good as Orbot it works fairly well.
Title: Re: Anonymous via cellphone network?
Post by: vlad1m1r on April 24, 2012, 08:06 pm
Android has a Tor port called Orbot: Tor for Android. See if there's an official Tor port for iPhone.

Well said Opticalinfinity,

Using 3G or free Wifi in cafes is an excellent layer of security however your greatest defence is going to be through a mixture of using a phone capable of full device encryption and using Orbot and the accompanying browser Orweb.

If you do this, LE may well be able to prove you were sitting in a certain cafe on a given date and accessing the Internet on your phone but because your connection was Torified, it will not be possible to see which sites you accessed.

For this reason I regularly access this forum from work using the Tor Browser Bundle on a secure USB stick - all anyone could prove was that I was using onion routing, not that I had accessed SR.

V.

Title: Re: Anonymous via cellphone network?
Post by: gtgeorgz on April 25, 2012, 01:24 pm
Android has a Tor port called Orbot: Tor for Android. See if there's an official Tor port for iPhone.

For iOS use Covert Browser.  I think v1.3 is available in installous.  Although its not as good as Orbot it works fairly well.

Yeah i've tried this after turning my phone on airplane mode and then connecting it to Wifi. But i never seem to be able to get to SR, i mean, it gets to the login page, but when i log in nothing happens.