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We've been hearing stories about supposed fake power boxes that mysteriously show up near the homes politically active people. In this thread, we will analyze current information about them, what they could be used for, and advice for a police-state-to-be regarding infra.
A recent story concerns a union organizer who discovered one of these boxes outside their home. After pointing it out to others, the box mysteriously disappeared as quickly as it came. https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/local/activists-find-camera-inside-mysterious-box-power-pole-near-union-organizers-home/5WCLOAMMBRGYBEJDGH6C74ITBU/
This Reddit thread from three months ago discusses other occurrences of these cameras, and working with people to confirm the locations of certain cameras. There are quite a few boxes and locations listed. https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy_commons/comments/gin79z/i_made_an_alt_because_this_is_sketchy_so_i_can/
There appears to be two types of cameras when looking at the hosts on Shodan. One is the "Canon VB-C60" network camera, and the other is the "iRecord Covert" surveillance system. They all appear to use a cell modems, mainly on the Verizon network, but also T-Mobile.
Some of these seem to be connected to a controller (like iRecord), but others are connected directly to the modem. These cameras are not cheap, and have a whole suite of software and options for them. Also - default creds haha
Example: VB-C60 Manual http://gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/8/0300001648/02/VBC60OG_E.pdf
Example: VB-C60 Manual http://gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/8/0300001648/02/VBC60OG_E.pdf
The cellular modems that appear to be used in most cases are Sierra Wireless. These are often used in ruggedized applications where internet is not available. They also contain an admin AT command interface, which was disclosed by @netspooky back in 2017. https://n0.lol/a/sierra.html
So to recap: a lot of the suspected surveillance gear contains a slew of vulnerabilities that can allow them to be viewed by anyone, reconfigured by anyone, and their actual modems can be hijacked and abused in many ways.
What could go wrong??
What could go wrong??
Here are some Shodan dorks so you can look for these cameras yourself:
VB-C60 org:"Verizon Wireless"
VB-C60 org:"T-Mobile USA"
iRecord org:"Verizon Wireless"
iRecord org:"T-Mobile USA"
VB-C60 org:"Verizon Wireless"
VB-C60 org:"T-Mobile USA"
iRecord org:"Verizon Wireless"
iRecord org:"T-Mobile USA"
Now the question is, who is deploying this garbage? Based on accounts from various sources, it seems to be local law enforcement agencies, and possibly other agencies. It's unclear due to the nature of them, but would be interested in hearing more about their usage.
The last question is, what do you do if you suspect a fake power box near your house? Well first, DO NOT TOUCH IT. If it's a real transformer or other piece of power grid gear, it WILL kill you if you mess with it.
Do what you need to do to see who might come pick it up.
Do what you need to do to see who might come pick it up.
We don't want to add any more paranoia to the vibrant hellscape of 2020, but this is something to think about and consider. This is a suspected mobile surveillance infrastructure that can be deployed ad-hoc. Be safe, be sane, and bring your own camera. - TC
