Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

AT&T Says Malware Secretly Unlocked Hundreds of Thousands of Phones

Posted by Soulskill on from the for-tenuous-definitions-of-the-word-malware dept.

alphadogg writes: AT&T said three of its employees secretly installed software on its network so a cellphone unlocking service could surreptitiously funnel hundreds of thousands of requests to its servers to remove software locks on phones. The locks prevent phones from being used on competing networks and have been an important tool used by cellular carriers to prevent customers from jumping ship.

15 of 123 comments (clear)

  1. Doesn't sound like malware to me. by aussersterne · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Just sayin.

    Or at least, stretches the definition of "malware" to the breaking point.

    --
    STOP . AMERICA . NOW
    1. Re:Doesn't sound like malware to me. by jbmartin6 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "Malware" is a matter of perspective. From this perspective of the AT&T lock mafia, this is malware.

      --
      This posting is provided 'AS IS' without warranty of any kind, implied or otherwise.
    2. Re:Doesn't sound like malware to me. by aussersterne · · Score: 4, Informative

      I guess I tie the idea of "malware" to two concepts:

      1) Mal, as in harmful to the user.
      2) Ware, as in software.

      To me, "malware" as a concept is basically about end users. It is software that is installed by endusers that does something contrary to what they expect, possibly without their knowledge, that is harmful to them. Malware is inherently deceptive, and the method of its deception is posing as something else. It is directed from bad actors toward strangers that these actors wish to exploit. It is a numbers game, a volume game.

      This was not installed by end users, it did not pose as something else, and the harm was directed at an organization by individuals within the organization. It was not distributed widely, but was a single instance. I'd call this a "hack" or a "sabotage" or an "embezzlement" of some kind before I'd call it malware. Maybe a new term is needed.

      But it seems a big jump from the widespread distribution of a Windows wizard to millions of hapless end users all the way to the willful and direct modification of company equipment by employees for gain.

      --
      STOP . AMERICA . NOW
  2. Good guy teleco emplyees... by wardrich86 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If only the idea of a carrier-locked phone could be made illegal... It would put more pressure on the companies to actually come up with decent pricing and plans to secure their customers!

    1. Re:Good guy teleco emplyees... by sexconker · · Score: 3, Informative

      In the US, carriers are now required by the FCC to unlock a phone on request, if the phone is not still on a subsidy contract.
      It's been like this for about 2 years now.

    2. Re:Good guy teleco emplyees... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      In the US, carriers are now required by the FCC to unlock a phone on request, if the phone is not still on a subsidy contract.
      It's been like this for about 2 years now.

      Yeah, have fun going through that "request" with AT&T. It is damn near impossible to get them to unlock a phone.

    3. Re:Good guy teleco emplyees... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      What? I've done this with AT&T several times. You go to their website, enter your phone information (and it includes details on how to get it), and it sends you an email with exactly what to type on your phone to unlock it. The whole process only takes a few minutes.

    4. Re:Good guy teleco emplyees... by Scoth · · Score: 4, Informative

      This, pretty much. I went round and round with AT&T trying to get an off-contract iPhone 4 unlocked for over a year before I ended up trading it in for double-credit on a iPhone 6 for my wife for far more than it would have sold for on eBay or the like even unlocked. They just kept declining it with no explanation, and the customer service reps were no help.

    5. Re:Good guy teleco emplyees... by dbraden · · Score: 4, Informative

      I had at&t unlock my iphone a few months ago and it couldn't have been simpler. I did it from their web site with a very simple form and it was unlocked within 2 days.

      Maybe I was just lucky, I don't know, I'm just a sample of one. I have no love for AT&T, but at least that worked well for me.

    6. Re:Good guy teleco emplyees... by gaiageek · · Score: 4, Informative

      I have a dual-SIM phone with one SIM on T-Mobile's network, the other on AT&T's (both are MVNOs). My experience has been that T-Mobile has better overall coverage in the areas they cover -- and by that I mean actually getting 3 or 4 bars on T-Mobile while indoors and getting 0 or 1 bars on AT&T (obviously in the exact same location since it's in the exact same phone).

      I think it's pretty well known that T-Mobile is not the carrier of choice if you're looking for extensive rural coverage. If you need that, my impression is that Verizon is the way to go. But if you're in an urban area 99% of the time, T-Mobile is amazing given their prices and their perks, i.e. free unlimited data and text when traveling overseas. (I think most people don't realize just how unprecedented it is to have unlimited data when roaming abroad, and to date I know of no other carrier in the WORLD who offers that.)

      --
      www.gaiageek.com
    7. Re:Good guy teleco emplyees... by TsuruchiBrian · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yes T-Mobile coverage is worse, but even at 1/4 the coverage, that only translates to about 2 times a year on average where I don't have service when someone with ATT or Verizon does.

      I am willing to save hundreds of dollars a year if the only downside is being minimally inconvenienced. The yearly savings for me is more than the cost of a new phone (~$720).

    8. Re:Good guy teleco emplyees... by Obfuscant · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I am willing to save hundreds of dollars a year if the only downside is being minimally inconvenienced. The yearly savings for me is more than the cost of a new phone (~$720).

      What convinced me the other carriers are crooks is how they advertise the prices for their plans and then tack on another $20 to actually use a phone with those plans. Huh? $60/month for 12Gb, but actually using a phone to get to that data adds $20/month? That's, I think, Verizon's current advertising for their "one plan" that actually four different plans with different amounts of data.

      I almost signed up with AT&T at what I thought would be a good rate, and then was told "and add $40 if you want to use a phone on that plan". I told the guy I already had a phone, I didn't need a new one, and he told me it wasn't to GET a phone, it was to USE my own phone.

      That's like selling a car for $100, but add on another $20,000 if you want it to actually be able to move.

  3. I wish my phone had been hit! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I was out of contract over a year ago, but I'm still fighting to get mine unlocked.

  4. Re:Freedom of choice by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's sad that i have more freedom of choice in countries far less "democratic" and "liberal" than USA, than i do in USA, in terms of technology and telecommunications.

    So true. I travel to Cambodia & Vietnam once or twice a year. In Cambodia or Vietnam you can literally walk into any phone store, buy literally any phone, then walk outside to a SIM-chip kiosk (they're every where, staffed by lovely young ladies) and buy a SIM card. Stick it in your phone and *bam*, you're on the air. None of this shit about carriers or contracts or networks or compatibility or any of that stuff- any phone with any SIM works everywhere in the entire country.

    The result is that carriers compete to offer the lowest prices with the most features. And it works- $10 to $20 a month gets you service with all the stuff the highest-cost plans here in the US have.

    --
    Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
  5. Re:So, heroes? by rogoshen1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    was thinking more like 'Schindler's List'