Law Student/Security Researcher Devises 'Terrifyingly Easy' Way To Spy On People

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http://www.businessinsider.com/brendon-oconnor-2013-8


Brendon O'Connor, the researcher responsible for CreepyDOL.

A security researcher who's also in law school recently wondered how easily a private citizen could spy on other people. He really only needed $570 and the Internet.

Brendan O'Connor, 27, created a "terrifyingly easy" system for monitoring people, he told The New York Times. By putting Raspberry Pi models (cheap, programmable mini-computers) in small plastic boxes connected to a command center, he gave himself access to data from anyone using a wireless device nearby.

A tip of the hat to the NSA's PRISM operation, O' Connor's Creepy Distributed Object Locator, or CreepyDOL, harvests similar information. The system kicks in when someone connects to the same Wi-Fi network — like the free ones in coffee shops, Forbes reported.

He made 10 boxes, each costing $57, the Times reported. Using them, O'Connor can uncover which websites people browsed, the unique connection identifier to their iPhones and iPads, and even their email addresses and pictures sometimes.



Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/brendon-oconnor-2013-8#ixzz2bBSiXYNb

[RKP5637]

1. Don't leave home without VPN! n/t