Leaky Cellphone Nets Can Give Attackers Your Location

alphadogg writes "GSM cellular networks leak enough location data to give third-parties secret access to cellphone users' whereabouts, according to new University of Minnesota research. 'We have shown that there is enough information leaking from the lower layers of the GSM communication stack to enable an attacker to perform location tests on a victim's device. We have shown that those tests can be performed silently without a user being aware by aborting PSTN calls before they complete,' write the authors, from the College of Science and Engineering, in a paper titled 'Location Leaks on the GSM Air Interface' (Pdf). The researchers are working with carriers and equipment makers, including AT&T and Nokia, to address the security issues."

Comments

Re: Not a problem

[Anonymous Coward]

If you happen to travel to the USA then getting tracked by GSM is the least of your problems

"And with all our coverage black spots, you won't ever be tracked whilst on our network" /AT&T Marketing Campaign

Re:It probably matters, but I don't care.

[lucm]

I am not important enough to blackmail.

Security by social irrelevance. Brilliant!