HIR Issue 7: How to not get (physically) noticed
by Frogman
Here I will explore a few concepts to extend on HiR's "Mobile Hacking" series. In addition to his ideas, I have a few of my own which may be of help.
- I. Hiding in Plain Sight.
- II. Frogman's Layered/Morphing Theory of Concealment.
I: Hiding in Plain Sight.
This is a concept you may have heard about in relation to Ninjas and various government agencies. (the Alphabet Agencies should spring to mind) This involves looking like you are supposed to be there, and that you are not someone worth looking for. How can you expect to be overlooked by a pursuer in a crowd if you are the only one there in black sweats with a back pack, while everybody else in in a tee-shirt and shorts? A good idea is to be original enough so that you are not so normal you stand out, while also being forgettable enough not to be recognized. Don't dress like a Goth and walk into Denny's. Don't dress in a three-piece suit either. Wear a tee-shirt and jeans, or a polo-shirt. Make like you're there to study your college material and have some coffee. Who is going to think of you when the officer pulls by the restaurant slowly, looking in the windows. If he enters and asks about suspicious characters, the Goth will get pointed to quickly. The suit has less chance of this, but it would still be the same type of thing.
One the same note, who would more likely be questioned by mall security for using a coupler on a payphone? The Goth of course. Business men are respectable, and have business to do. Goth's are strange teens who are probably up to no good. I have had some experiences of this type. I tend to be a polo-shirted semi-prep.
Scenario:
On a payphone next to the restrooms, dialing into your ISP, and FTPing the latest HiR. People coming and going, and all have some typical reactions.
- The typical strange look.
- The crazy woman "Help, help, Hackers!!!"
- The envious GenX'r "Hey, cool!"
- The Security Guard "Pardon me, but you aren't allowed to do that from mall phones."
- The interested stare and disbelieving giggle of the girl on the pay phone next to you, as she explains to Theresa that she is missing one of the coolest sites at the mall in a month.
The Goth would get the security guard and crazed woman almost for sure. The suit would get the strange looks. While your average tee/polo-shirted Joe would get the envy and respect.
As Axon explained, carry the least equipment you need to get the job done. A way to hide that equipment without bulky pockets is a crotch pocket. Cut a hole in a hip pocket, or try splitting the seam in the inside upper thigh on a pair of loose, but not extremely baggy pants. Sew in a custom pocket for the piece of equip. you intend to hide, and install either a narrow tooth zipper, or eyelet hooks. If you are skillful, you could try swappable pockets. The pockets could simply be attached with eyelets, and an eyeletted opening. Snaps may also work, but they need more force, and are noisier. If the equip. causes a noticeable sag, use a belt, and run support cords to it, or tie the pocket the your thigh with a cord or strap. The main downfall of this is obvious: How and where to get your stuff out. If you are going to use a payphone near a bathroom, make a quick pit stop. If you are in a restaurant, you can take it out under the table. Just try not to look like you are playing with yourself.
II: Frogman's Layered/Morphing Theory of Concealment
This is a very good way to enter/exit the scene of the target. Make the entry to the scene in one outfit. Do some business on the scene, then go to the restroom or such and either change clothes with some you brought (ie. in a briefcase), or, wear layered clothes. A pair of shorts under pants, or two pairs of pants. A short sleeved shirt under a long sleeved, or the long under the short, with the sleeves pulled out of sight. If you are using the layered and not completely changing clothes, you can be out of one set and ready to go in less than a minute, and back in the same. To change clothes, pullovers, and zippered pants are fastest/best. Hopefully, you could do business in one set, then make a bathroom run and change. Go do your shady biz quickly, change back, and return to the first business. If you are quick, all you seemed to do was make a run to the restroom. A pair of convertible cargo pants works well. These have zippered legs that can come off to become shorts. This reduces the need for somewhat baggy pants to cover the shorts/other pants.
Scenario:
A person wearing trousers and a long sleeved flannel shirt is seen entering the building. He goes to a desk, and fills out some dated forms. He thens asks where he can find a restroom. Someone reports seeing a stranger in shorts and a tee-shirt messing with the phone box. The flannel and trousers leaves, having completed some other business in the building. With an alibi and a different identity, the same person did both. He implemented the layered/morphing theory. He has proof that, yes officer, he was in the building at the time the phone box messing was going on, but he was busy filling forms, the whole time. Well, except the five mins he was in the rest room. Plus, what he wore that day doesn't fit with what the suspect was wearing...
Now, I'm not advocating running around committing crimes using these methods of concealment, but I have had times where I need to get something done, and didn't have a reasonable excuse to just walk in and do it. If a guard saw me doing some things that I know are perfectly legal, I know I would be stopped and be made an embarrassing scene of while he checks with his boss. This is what I am trying to put forth. If you are going to trash a site, but there are a lot of people, these methods can be employed as a quick way to disappear.
