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GPS tracking device found on an activist's car

people.torproject.org

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Re: GPS tracking device found on an activist's car

#51

Post by zem »

jonmrodriguez wrote: post #10
tomkinstinch wrote: post #4

Very few companies produce GPS chips. Most devices that include GPS capability do not bother to reinvent the wheel, but instead elect to integrate an existing GPS processing chip. It's unlikely the GPS module is integrated with the processor core of this thing. Since it is likely separate, it would be fun to probe the PCB with a logic analyzer to see if there are any exposed serial (or possibly I2C, SPI) traces relay…

Aw man I loved your comment right up to the point where you gave people a suggestion on how to make better surveillance tech :(

the people working on surveillance tech already know how to do it better. the comment was for the rest of us to get a glimpse of how the tech might be modified if it became cost effective to do so.

Re: GPS tracking device found on an activist's car

#52

Post by userbinator »

jrockway wrote: post #3

I guess it's a sad world when I breathe a sigh of relief upon seeing that this didn't take place in the US. I like how the agency gummed over the chip silkscreens so you can't see what chips they're using. Even though it's obvious that one is flash, another is a GPS module, and the third is the micro. And it appears that some scraping will show you the part numbers anyway. Amateur hour.

The goop on the chips is the funniest part - I've taken apart various bits of equipment (mostly from China) and they often attempt to obscure the part numbers to obfuscate, but even they know to grind/laser them off instead of putting goop on top... and it's still possible to figure out what they are just by their package and pinouts.

The low integration of the design suggests that it's probably at least 5 or more years old; these days, all that functionality would fit in 3-4 tiny BGA ICs.

Re: GPS tracking device found on an activist's car

#53

Post by userbinator »

sliverstorm wrote: post #44
simcop2387 wrote: post #18

Based on the way it's laid out and all the unpopulated headers I'm almost wondering if this is a GSM dev board that someone makes that's paired with a GPS daughter card they make. It doesn't look quite as purpose built for a tracking application as I would expect, if it was i'd expect it to be far more compact and have very few test points and headers for the controller. In fact I'd expect they'd probably use a small…

I have similar thoughts, it really seems rather like overkill. Either an old device or not a purpose-built tracker. Very large, and holy cow is that a TQFP-144? I've built local-storage trackers before with DIP-8 chips. I've not implemented GSM, but I'd be pretty surprised if a modern GPS+GSM tracker required this much horsepower. Not to mention the board layout is pretty good, and because the GPS & GSM are integrate…

That appears to be a TQFP-120, and there aren't that many MCUs available in that package; I'm almost willing to bet it's a Renesas/Fujitsu part.

GPS + GSM modules are available (now - maybe not when this thing was designed) which would shrink the whole tracker down to one module, a few voltage regulators and related passives, and a battery:

http://wm.sim.com/producten.aspx?id=1058

Re: GPS tracking device found on an activist's car

#54

Post by rbanffy »

markrages wrote: post #8
tomkinstinch wrote: post #4

Very few companies produce GPS chips. Most devices that include GPS capability do not bother to reinvent the wheel, but instead elect to integrate an existing GPS processing chip. It's unlikely the GPS module is integrated with the processor core of this thing. Since it is likely separate, it would be fun to probe the PCB with a logic analyzer to see if there are any exposed serial (or possibly I2C, SPI) traces relay…

The enterprising hacker could always use a LabSat[1] device to play back a bogus GPS trace. No physical connection to the board is required. [1] http://www.labsat.co.uk

It's so much easier to just keep passing it around to your friends so they can attach it to as many different cars (or other kinds of vehicle) as possible.

Imagine what your fans in government would think if the logs of your car included long periods over water or a trip to the stratosphere or a trek through the woods. Or they decided to find you once you decided to seemingly leave civilization behind to discover you turned into a bear. An angry bear with a GPS collar.

Re: GPS tracking device found on an activist's car

#56

Post by thanksgiving »

zem wrote: post #51
jonmrodriguez wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aw man I loved your comment right up to the point where you gave people a suggestion on how to make better surveillance tech :(

the people working on surveillance tech already know how to do it better. the comment was for the rest of us to get a glimpse of how the tech might be modified if it became cost effective to do so.

also i'd think the more we know how to make better surveillance, the better someone can build systems that can subvert it

Re: GPS tracking device found on an activist's car

#57

Post by zevyoura »

RickS wrote: post #38
fyrabanks wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why wouldn't they just track his cell phone, then?

You can place these devices without a warrant. Likely not true of the cell phone.

1. That's not true[0] 2. This wasn't in the U.S.

[0] http://www.npr.org/2012/03/21/149011887/fbi-still-struggling...

Re: GPS tracking device found on an activist's car

#58

Post by joncp »

Crito wrote: post #27
tlrobinson wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd like to see FBI agents pulling up a map of the guy's locations and finding an elaborate drawing of a penis.

Kind of reminds me how Boeing test pilots will often draw shapes on the map when they are flying around aircraft to get in test hours. Here is a 787 logo 'drawn' with a 787: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/BOE236/history/20120209/2...

And of course, there's the famous 12th man tribute: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/BOE12/history/20140130/18...

Re: GPS tracking device found on an activist's car

#60

Post by Zigurd »

This looks pretty amateur. I'd be asking if there is a specific private sector company that takes an interest in this activist, and has hired a cheap, shady private investigator.

The device was probably SMS'ing location data. There might still be log data in the device that could be extracted via a serial port.

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