by Kevin D. Murray, 158 pages, ©2011, $11.90
A fun read for those in the field of understanding the vulnerabilities of information technologies (and that’s all I’m going to say about that). What I liked was the guide to perform your own tests to see if your phone is bugged. So many of the “professional books” give you just enough information to know you have a problem, but not enough to make a self-directed inquiry. The book comes with a little battery-powered doodad (technical term: gizmo), that can be used as a tool to aid the user in their self-directed inquiry. The doodad is a button-sized flasher that will flash if the phone is within a few inches and transmitting. In short – if it is flashing while you are not on the line, you may have an issue.
Murray’s book is also a reminder of how dependant we are on our data, and the privacy of our data. An innocent email can have devastating consequences when in the hands of an adversary. A zombie cell, when planted in a room or vehicle, can do much more damage – as it supplies a steady stream of information that is thought to be private. No one likes to have their conversations monitored, or their full contact list in the hands of a competitor – or an ex, for that matter.
