from the surveillance-for-sale dept

If you had an extra $100k on hand and happened to be on eBay at the right time, you could have become the proud(?) owner of tech that was once so secretive and controversial, both the manufacturer and the FBI would make you sign restrictive non-disclosure agreements just to purchase one.

A lot has changed since Harris Corporation’s Stingray cell site simulator went mainstream enough to suffer genericide. Harris’ cell tower spoofer was originally developed to track enemy operatives and terrorists in war zones around the world. Then it became something pretty much any cop shop could own and deploy — a surveillance device that allowed officers to locate cell phones and track their movement, all without being all that bothered by the Fourth Amendment implications.

This one, however, is no longer up for sale… at least not on eBay, anyway, as Jules Roscoe reports for 404 Media.

An apparently original StingRay cell phone surveillance device listed on eBay was taken down by the company on Tuesday after 404 Media contacted it about the listing. The device, which was labeled as used, was up for sale for $100,000. 

The device was listed as “Harris Stingray Cellular Phone Surveillance w/ Power Cord & Rolling Case – USED.” Photos uploaded to the listing show the device, numerous cables, and a StingRay operating manual with the original Harris Communications logo. A close-up photo shows the power switch, which glows green when turned on. According to the operating manual, this device was from 2004. 

Note that last sentence, though. Sure, it may “power up” (as the seller stated) and have all of its manuals, but a 2004 Stingray is more a curiosity than a potential threat to nearby cell phone communications. This model would likely be one of the first marketed directly to law enforcement. By 2011, the tech had already been outed by Daniel Rigmaiden following his arrest for tax fraud. His investigative work while behind bars uncovered the secretive tech federal agents had used to locate him.

By 2014, everyone was talking about Stingray devices, even as Harris Corporation and the FBI did all they could to keep the tech from flying too far above the radar. At this point, Harris has gotten completely out of the cell site simulator game due to network enhancements that make spoofing cell sites with Stingrays impractical, if not impossible. A version this old tech simply won’t be able fool today’s phone into thinking it’s a real cell tower, so its utility is mostly limited to impersonating a police officer who works for an agency that hasn’t updated its surveillance tech in 20 years.

Either way, the listing is no longer live. eBay pulled it down after being notified of its existence. But whoever’s looking to unload it will probably still be able to find a buyer. But that price will have to come way down before any hobbyist, security researcher, or tinpot dictatorship hopeful will actually consider buying it.

Filed Under: cell site simulators, stingray, surveillance
Companies: ebay, harris corporation