About StingWatch

StingWatch is an Android app built with Meteor (using React + Cordova) to catch IMSI-catchers (aka Stingrays or cell site simulators). These are electronic devices for mass surveillance used by many local police departments and other groups around the world. Learn more.

In a nutshell, StingWatch:

• is based on modular components that in the long run should make the code reusable across many types of devices (PCs, iPhones, IoT, RaspberryPi, etc.)
• will contribute and pull from a shared database for advanced detections
• is more limited functionality and reliability than other well established apps like SnoopSnitch and AIMSICD
• does not require rooting

imsi-catcher-catcher

The main package that StingWatch relies on is imsi-catcher-catcher. imsi-catcher-catcher is also being incorporated into another project at the same time, StingWatch Desktop, a version of StingWatch that can run on anything that supports gnuradio and Meteor, like an Intel Compute Stick.

Get StingWatch

APKs

• Google Play (in beta testing)
• FDroid coming soon
• Direct APK link coming soon

Install from source

Make sure the following are installed:

• git, curl: sudo apt-get install git curl
• Meteor: https://www.meteor.com/install
• Android SDK: https://guide.meteor.com/mobile.html

Get the code and plugins

Both these methods are assuming an installation into ~/.stingwatch.

Option 1: Script

curl https://stingraymappingproject.org/install.sh | sh

Option 2: Manual

These instructions are copied from the install script above:

# Get StingWatch
git clone git@github.com:marvinmarnold/stingwatch.git
cd stingwatch

# Install NPM packages
sudo meteor npm install --save react react-addons-pure-render-mixin react-dom react-hammerjs react-router twitter

# Setup location for packages
mkdir packages
cd packages

# Link to Bootstrap
git clone git@github.com:marvinmarnold/bootstrap.git
cd bootstrap
git checkout stingwatch
cd ..

git clone git@github.com:marvinmarnold/cordova-plugin-telephony.git
git clone git@github.com:marvinmarnold/meteor-device-id.git
git clone git@github.com:marvinmarnold/meteor-imsi-catcher-catcher.git
git clone git@github.com:marvinmarnold/meteor-reactive-local-store.git
cd ..

# Copy over settings
cp settings-example.json settings.json

chmod +x stingwatch.sh

Configure settings

Register with Mapbox and Twitter. Fill in settings.json with keys.

Use StingWatch

Make sure your Android device is plugged in and that adb devices shows it.

Local server

The fastest way to get started it to make your computer the server the app talks to.

cd ~/.stingwatch
./stingwatch

The server will start the server on localhost:4000 and is equivalent to running meteor run android-device -p 4000 --settings settings.json .