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Mysterious, Phony Cell Towers Found Throughout US

Posted by Soulskill on from the can-you-hear-me-now dept.

Trachman writes: Popular Science magazine recently published an article about a network of cell towers owned not by telecommunication companies but by unknown third parties. Many of them are built around U.S. military bases. "Interceptors vary widely in expense and sophistication – but in a nutshell, they are radio-equipped computers with software that can use arcane cellular network protocols and defeat the onboard encryption. ... Some interceptors are limited, only able to passively listen to either outgoing or incoming calls. But full-featured devices like the VME Dominator, available only to government agencies, can not only capture calls and texts, but even actively control the phone, sending out spoof texts, for example."

7 of 237 comments (clear)

  1. Clearly these towers were designed to find and by jpellino · · Score: 4, Funny

    intercept non-approved communications about kjhfgdt kans hwwpfu alowk nh ar akhde.

    --
    "Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
  2. Re:They used to be called UHF TV tuners by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ahhh anyone remember the joy of pressing the outer tuning ring and going back and forth???

    Worst pick-up line ever.

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  3. Re:Where did the linked to article go? by PPH · · Score: 4, Funny

    You're not trying to open this link on a phone near a military base, are you?

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  4. Re:They used to be called UHF TV tuners by Frobnicator · · Score: 4, Funny

    Picking up phone calls over TV tuners is one thing. Buying and installing a product with a name like "VME Dominator".

    One of those can happen by innocent mistake. The other sounds ... well, not so innocent.

    --
    //TODO: Think of witty sig statement
  5. "Phony" cell towers? by Black+Parrot · · Score: 4, Funny

    Is this article some kind of joke I don't quite get?

    --
    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  6. Re:They used to be called UHF TV tuners by viperidaenz · · Score: 4, Funny

    So it would be ok if they renamed it "VME Fluffy Bunny"?

  7. Re:They used to be called UHF TV tuners by TWX · · Score: 4, Funny

    Ahhh anyone remember the joy of pressing the outer tuning ring and going back and forth???

    Worst pick-up line ever.

    Any pickup line that works is an effective pickup line.

    Though in hindsight, using, "Gimme a waitress, hold the dressing," successfully at the IHOP should have set off some warning bells...

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.