The Civil Guard has achieved a The system is capable of registering mobile devices remotely (Android and iPhone) and access your content and communications. In the official announcement of the deal, it talks about the ability to host software on devices and allow “transparent access” to their content and communications. Installation procedures and limitations are not detailed.
A March award. The contract was awarded on March 26 to the company Fortier Europe, SLU (Boadilla del Monte, Madrid). The amount of the selected offer was 2,066,115.70 euros without VAT (with 21% it would be about 2.5 million). Even though it was released in October (ad), that doesn’t mean it was awarded that month.
Only one proposal has been submitted. A discussion method was used without publicity. This is justified as the manufacturer has granted exclusive supply and distribution rights The ad indicates the supplier (not the manufacturer) and does not specify which versions of Android and iOS are supported. It is also not specified that it can always be installed remotely (without physical access).
This agency previously worked with the Civil Guard. On April 20, 2020, it was awarded the maintenance of the EGOBOX platform (worth 99,130 euros).
Are there legal limits to remote registration?
The Criminal Procedure Act establishes that the contents of any device can be remotely examined without the knowledge of the owner or user It requires a judicial approval.
Offenses that may be the subject of such records The following are:
- Crimes committed within criminal organizations.
- terrorist crime
- Offenses against minors or persons of judicially altered capacity.
- Crime against the Constitution.
- Sedition is a crime.
- Offenses relating to national defence.
- Crimes committed with computers or communication technology.
It is required in this resolution Specify which device is going to be registered (what type of device), what scope of access (what will be accessible), what software will be used and what agents are authorized. In addition, data integrity guarantees must be included.
Maximum duration is one month (May be extended for equal periods up to three months). If researchers think the data is in another system, they must tell the judge so he can approve the registry expansion.
It cannot even be identified as Pegasus. We have already followed the Pegasus case. Although they share compatibility with Android and iOS, that doesn’t mean they’re the same product.
What protections do iPhones and Androids have?
Users who may be targeted are protected by Apple iPhone: Isolation Mode. This mode offers (optional). Some additional protections that make spyware less likely to attack. Among other things, it disables most types of attachments in the Messages app. It also disables certain web technologies. This may cause some pages to crash or lose certain functionality. Unstructured phone calls or text messages are still possible.
To activate it, you need to go to settings. in its section Privacy and security We will find a section of it isolation mode. We follow the steps and restart the phone. This is a mod designed for some users who can attack in a particularly sophisticated way. We cannot guarantee that this particular system (how it works is not disclosed) will be blocked by this Apple security.
On the other hand, Google has also introduced an advanced device protection mode in Android 16. This mode combines various security measures (against malicious applications and targeted attacks). They cannot be disabled individually while this mode is active. To activate it, according to the current Android support, you need to go to Settings > Security & Privacy. in its section Other settings We search Enhanced protection. Once there, we activate the device protection option (a reboot may be required).
Picture | Córdoba Civil Guard, Pexels
