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All GSM Phones Open To Attack, Tracking

Posted by Soulskill on from the now-where'd-that-tinfoil-hat-go dept.

Trailrunner7 writes "A pair of security researchers has discovered a number of new attack vectors that give them the ability not only to locate any GSM mobile handset anywhere in the world, but also to find the name of the subscriber associated with virtually any cellular phone number, raising serious privacy and security concerns for customers of all of the major mobile providers. The research builds upon earlier work on geolocation of GSM handsets and exposes a number of fundamental weaknesses in the architecture of mobile providers' networks. However, these are not software or hardware vulnerabilities that can be patched or mitigated with workarounds. Rather, they are features and functionality built into the networks and back-end systems that Bailey and DePetrillo have found ways to abuse in order to discover information that most cell users assume is private and known only to the cell provider."

5 of 119 comments (clear)

  1. FBI backdoors etc by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    About time someone found one of the many government backdoors they build in years ago. Do you expect government worker #84772 to be able to use a complicated secure backdoor? I know I don't, so I expect all the newest routers that the US made firmware updates with backdoors, cell phones everything has stupid obscure easy to use backdoors built into them now. Its a danger and we need to stem and turn this shit around NOW!

  2. I Have AT&T - Joke's On Them by sexconker · · Score: 5, Funny

    My network isn't vulnerable because it's never fucking working.

  3. Re:Scary shit by PPH · · Score: 3, Funny

    Sorry. My hand is busy a the moment.

    By government agencies, you mean both domestic and foreign. Right? If you think the Russians, Chinese, and North Koreans don't have a complete and up to date list of all cell phones that regularly contact certain towers in Langley, Virginia, please turn in your low Slashdot UIDs.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  4. Re:Wasn't it a GSM provider in the US requiring SS by AndrewNeo · · Score: 4, Funny

    You must be ne..

    tgd (2822)

    Er. You must not come around very often.

  5. Re:I told you they've been tracking me by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'm not trying to be funny, I'm trying to warn everyone about the real danger that Goo

    ^%$&^#$&^%$&^% NO CARRIER

    --
    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill