Would installing this spyware require physical access to the device (eg. flashing the ROM?) If so, that's kind of boring, because with physical access to the phone I could just put my own bug with its own mic, using it's own power & network inside the phone's case and easily read all your data without modifying anything on the phone or giving any "tells" like increasing network usage.
Also presumably if law enforcement needed to listen in, there would be better ways to do so than to physically steal your phone... like subpoenaing the phone company.
I only read the article briefly since it seemed so light on details and honestly really bad (it seemed more like a fear mongering), but I believe they're referring to Hacking Team stuff released.
BBC technology coverage is almost universally terrible. They hardly ever provide links to further information, which is appalling for an online news site.
Hm, is there currently any mobile anti-virus software available that would have caught and blocked the Hacking Team exploits before the reveal?
Are there actually any "standard" security procedures for mobile? I suppose a vast majority of customers simply trust OS vendors to release a secure environment.
Unless you jailbreak your phone you are basically forced to trust the vendor. Even with a jailbreak there are lots of places to hide something like this. If there is a hack in the baseband firmware on your phone you are basically out of luck.
> If there is a hack in the baseband firmware on your phone you are basically out of luck.
You are out of luck. Around 2005/2006 it was revealed in a mob trial that the FBI remotely activated, presumably using a special signaling plane command, a non-smartphone to turn it into a room bug. Ain't no firewall for that.
Also presumably if law enforcement needed to listen in, there would be better ways to do so than to physically steal your phone... like subpoenaing the phone company.