intercept

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Signal Intelligence Platform
A web-based interface for software-defined radio tools.

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Features

• Pager Decoding - POCSAG/FLEX via rtl_fm + multimon-ng
• 433MHz Sensors - Weather stations, TPMS, IoT devices via rtl_433
• Sub-GHz Analyzer - RF capture and protocol decoding for 300-928 MHz ISM bands via HackRF
• Aircraft Tracking - ADS-B via dump1090 with real-time map and radar
• Vessel Tracking - AIS ship tracking with VHF DSC distress monitoring
• ACARS Messaging - Aircraft datalink messages via acarsdec
• VDL2 - VHF Data Link Mode 2 aircraft datalink decoding via dumpvdl2
• Listening Post - Wideband frequency scanner with real-time audio monitoring
• Weather Satellites - NOAA APT and Meteor LRPT image decoding via SatDump with auto-scheduler
• WebSDR - Remote HF/shortwave listening via KiwiSDR network
• ISS SSTV - Slow-scan TV image reception from the International Space Station
• HF SSTV - Terrestrial SSTV on shortwave frequencies (80m-10m, VHF, UHF)
• APRS - Amateur packet radio position reports and telemetry via direwolf
• Satellite Tracking - Pass prediction with polar plot and ground track map
• Utility Meters - Electric, gas, and water meter reading via rtlamr
• ADS-B History - Persistent aircraft history with reporting dashboard (Postgres optional)
• WiFi Scanning - Monitor mode reconnaissance via aircrack-ng
• Bluetooth Scanning - Device discovery and tracker detection (with Ubertooth support)
• BT Locate - SAR Bluetooth device location with GPS-tagged signal trail mapping and proximity alerts
• WiFi Locate - Locate WiFi access points by BSSID with real-time signal meter, distance estimation, and proximity audio
• GPS - Real-time GPS position tracking with live map, speed, altitude, and satellite info
• TSCM - Counter-surveillance with RF baseline comparison and threat detection
• Meshtastic - LoRa mesh network integration
• Space Weather - Real-time solar and geomagnetic data from NOAA SWPC, NASA SDO, and HamQSL (no SDR required)
• Spy Stations - Number stations and diplomatic HF network database
• Remote Agents - Distributed SIGINT with remote sensor nodes
• Offline Mode - Bundled assets for air-gapped/field deployments
• Drone Intelligence - Multi-vector UAV detection via ASTM F3411 Remote ID (WiFi/BLE), RTL-SDR 433/868 MHz RF, and HackRF 2.4/5.8 GHz scanning with live contact map and risk scoring

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Installation / Debian / Ubuntu / macOS

Quick Start

git clone https://github.com/smittix/intercept.git
cd intercept
./setup.sh          # Interactive menu (first run launches setup wizard)
sudo ./start.sh

On first run, setup.sh launches a guided wizard that detects your OS, lets you choose install profiles, sets up the Python environment, and optionally configures environment variables and PostgreSQL.

On subsequent runs, it opens an interactive menu:

INTERCEPT Setup Menu
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  1) Install / Add Modules
  2) System Health Check
  3) Database Setup (ADS-B History)
  4) Update Tools
  5) Environment Configurator
  6) Uninstall / Cleanup
  7) View Status
  0) Exit

Production vs Dev server: start.sh auto-detects gunicorn + gevent and runs a production server with cooperative greenlets — handles multiple SSE/WebSocket clients without blocking. Falls back to Flask dev server if gunicorn is not installed. For quick local development, you can still use sudo -E venv/bin/python intercept.py directly.

Install Profiles

Choose what to install during the wizard or via menu option 1:

#	Profile	Tools
1	Core SIGINT	rtl_sdr, multimon-ng, rtl_433, dump1090, acarsdec, dumpvdl2, ffmpeg, gpsd
2	Maritime & Radio	AIS-catcher, direwolf
3	Weather & Space	SatDump, radiosonde_auto_rx
4	RF Security	aircrack-ng, HackRF, BlueZ, hcxtools, Ubertooth, SoapySDR
5	Full SIGINT	All of the above
6	Custom	Per-tool checklist

Multiple profiles can be combined (e.g. enter 1 3 for Core + Weather).

CLI Flags

./setup.sh --non-interactive          # Headless full install (same as legacy behavior)
./setup.sh --profile=core,weather     # Install specific profiles
./setup.sh --health-check             # Check system health and exit
./setup.sh --postgres-setup           # Run PostgreSQL setup and exit
./setup.sh --menu                     # Force interactive menu

Docker

git clone https://github.com/smittix/intercept.git
cd intercept
docker compose --profile basic up -d --build

Note: Docker requires privileged mode for USB SDR access. SDR devices are passed through via /dev/bus/usb.

Your data: settings, users, alert rules, watchlists and decoded messages live in ./instance on the host, so they survive --build. Upgrading from a compose file without that mount? Copy the old data out before rebuilding: docker cp intercept:/app/instance ./instance.

For multi-architecture builds (amd64 + arm64 for Raspberry Pi), see build-multiarch.sh — it handles cross-compilation and registry push in one step.

Environment Configuration

Use the Environment Configurator (menu option 5) to interactively set any INTERCEPT_* variable. Settings are saved to a .env file that start.sh sources automatically on startup.

You can also create or edit .env manually:

# .env (auto-loaded by start.sh)
INTERCEPT_PORT=5050
INTERCEPT_ADSB_AUTO_START=true
INTERCEPT_DEFAULT_LAT=51.5074
INTERCEPT_DEFAULT_LON=-0.1278

ADS-B History (Optional)

The ADS-B history feature persists aircraft messages to PostgreSQL for long-term analysis.

Automated setup (local install):

./setup.sh --postgres-setup
# Or use menu option 3: Database Setup

This will install PostgreSQL if needed, create the database/user/tables, and write the connection settings to .env.

Docker:

docker compose --profile history up -d

Set the following environment variables (in .env):

INTERCEPT_ADSB_HISTORY_ENABLED=true
INTERCEPT_ADSB_DB_HOST=adsb_db
INTERCEPT_ADSB_DB_PORT=5432
INTERCEPT_ADSB_DB_NAME=intercept_adsb
INTERCEPT_ADSB_DB_USER=intercept
INTERCEPT_ADSB_DB_PASSWORD=intercept

To store Postgres data on external storage, set PGDATA_PATH (defaults to ./pgdata):

PGDATA_PATH=/mnt/usbpi1/intercept/pgdata

Then open /adsb/history for the reporting dashboard.

System Health Check

Verify your installation is complete and working:

./setup.sh --health-check
# Or use menu option 2

Checks installed tools, SDR devices, port availability, permissions, Python venv, .env configuration, and PostgreSQL connectivity.

Open the Interface

After starting, open http://localhost:5050 in your browser.

There is no default password. On first start, INTERCEPT generates one for the admin account, logs it, and writes it to instance/.initial_password. Log in with that, and you will be asked to set your own before the interface unlocks.

To choose your own up front, set INTERCEPT_ADMIN_PASSWORD before first start. See Security for details and for why this replaced the previous admin/admin default.

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Hardware Requirements

Hardware	Purpose	Price
RTL-SDR	Required for all SDR features	~$25-35
WiFi adapter	Must support promiscuous (monitor) mode	~$20-40
Bluetooth adapter	Device scanning (usually built-in)	-
GPS	Any Linux supported GPS Unit	~10

Most features work with a basic RTL-SDR dongle (RTL2832U + R820T2).

:exclamation: Not using an RTL-SDR Device?
Intercept supports any device that SoapySDR supports. You must however have the correct module for your device installed! For example if you have an SDRPlay device you’d need to install soapysdr-module-sdrplay.

:exclamation: GPS Usage
gpsd is needed for real time location. Intercept automatically checks to see if you’re running gpsd in the background when any maps are rendered.

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Discord Server

Join our Discord

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Documentation

• Usage Guide - Detailed instructions for each mode
• Hardware Guide - SDR hardware, manual install, and advanced setup
• Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions
• Distributed Agents - Remote sensor node deployment
• Webhooks - Alert rules and webhook integration
• Security - Network security and best practices

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Disclaimer

This project was developed using AI as a coding partner, combining human direction with AI-assisted implementation. The goal: make Software Defined Radio more accessible by providing a clean, unified interface for common SDR tools.

This software is for educational and authorized testing purposes only.

• Only use with proper authorization
• Intercepting communications without consent may be illegal
• You are responsible for compliance with applicable laws

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License

Apache 2.0 License - see LICENSE

Author

Created by smittix - GitHub

Acknowledgments

rtl-sdr | multimon-ng | rtl_433 | dump1090 | AIS-catcher | acarsdec | direwolf | rtlamr | dumpvdl2 | aircrack-ng | Leaflet.js | SatDump | Celestrak | Priyom.org