Hacker Builds $1,500 Cell-Phone Tapping Device

A computer security researcher says he has built a device for just $1,500 that can intercept some kinds of cell phone calls and record everything that's said.

Chris Paget planned to show off the device Saturday during a talk at the DefCon hacker conference. But he was reconsidering the demonstration, in which he'd intercept conference attendees' calls, after federal authorities told him it might violate wiretapping laws.

His research is significant because it shows how cheaply such devices, which have been around for decades, can now be made with equipment found on the Internet. Commercial devices that do the same thing can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.