Surveillance Catalog Leaked

The Intercept has published a 120-page leaked catalog of surveillance equipment by Cobham designed for “law enforcement, military, national security, and border patrol agencies.” This equipment is designed for covert surveillance of targets, usually by engaging in mass-surveillance of everyone in an area.

Some of the more impressive items include:

• Cameras that transmit data over power-lines by plugging into a wall outlet, leaving no RF signature
• Cameras hidden in:
  • LED streetlights
  • The metal utility boxes on street sides
  • Outdoor trash cans
  • Smoke detectors
  • Paint buckets
• A rugged meshnet to links surveillance gear through entire neighborhoods
• Dog-mounted surveillance cameras

They also sport a large collection of microphones and transmitters, hidden among clothing, car chargers, mugs, usb sticks, and keyfobs.

Cobham also sells GPS, RDF (Radio Direction Finding), and GSM / CDMA transmitters, used to track the exact locations of moving targets.

Lastly, Cobham sells cell-network IMSI catchers, known more commonly as notorious “Stingrays.” These allow surveillance agencies to track your location using your cell phone, without installing any software or tracking devices on your person.

Ultimately they try to bundle all their equipment as a package deal to create “Safe Cities”, providing scalable surveillance “to help protect cities and keep citizens safe.” This is apparently done by deploying city-wide CCTV, hidden IP cameras, audio recording, and cell tower interception, all routed through a central Command and Control center.

Cobham, “The most important thing we build is trust.”

Posted 9/10/16