Member
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2023
- Messages
- 133
- Thread Author
- #1
Your movements are very easy to follow, even if you don't want to.
A new study by Citizen Lab has shown that outdated technologies that enable mobile phone roaming also allow you to track the location of phone owners on a global level.
The main vulnerability of the system is its flexibility. When moving from one cell tower to another, networks transmit information about the user's location to ensure a continuous connection. However, the system can be easily manipulated to find out the location of an object. Experts note that intelligence agencies, private intelligence firms, and even internal government agencies often try to get information about the location of users.
The complexity of modern mobile networks provides many opportunities for hackers. IP Exchange (IPX), a network that helps mobile operators exchange data about their customers, is one of the main sources of vulnerabilities. The IPX network is used by more than 750 mobile networks in 195 countries around the world. In addition, telecommunications companies can sell and resell access to IPX, which increases the risks.
The researchers were able to document several attempts to exploit the system for tracking purposes. In Vietnam, a seven-month campaign to track the location of African GTel Mobile users was revealed. African telecommunications companies have become the main target of this type of surveillance.
However, the operation of the global cellular system is really widespread: the study indicates surveillance originating from India, Iceland, Sweden, Italy and other countries. The report highlights the lack of strict security standards in global telecommunications and the need for legal regulation.
While Western countries have been concerned for years about surveillance threats from Chinese technology, the rest of the world seems to have escaped such attention. The researchers concluded that much has been said around the world about enabling or not enabling Huawei equipment in telecommunications networks, but little has been said about ensuring the security of non-Chinese equipment.
A new study by Citizen Lab has shown that outdated technologies that enable mobile phone roaming also allow you to track the location of phone owners on a global level.
The main vulnerability of the system is its flexibility. When moving from one cell tower to another, networks transmit information about the user's location to ensure a continuous connection. However, the system can be easily manipulated to find out the location of an object. Experts note that intelligence agencies, private intelligence firms, and even internal government agencies often try to get information about the location of users.
The complexity of modern mobile networks provides many opportunities for hackers. IP Exchange (IPX), a network that helps mobile operators exchange data about their customers, is one of the main sources of vulnerabilities. The IPX network is used by more than 750 mobile networks in 195 countries around the world. In addition, telecommunications companies can sell and resell access to IPX, which increases the risks.
The researchers were able to document several attempts to exploit the system for tracking purposes. In Vietnam, a seven-month campaign to track the location of African GTel Mobile users was revealed. African telecommunications companies have become the main target of this type of surveillance.
However, the operation of the global cellular system is really widespread: the study indicates surveillance originating from India, Iceland, Sweden, Italy and other countries. The report highlights the lack of strict security standards in global telecommunications and the need for legal regulation.
While Western countries have been concerned for years about surveillance threats from Chinese technology, the rest of the world seems to have escaped such attention. The researchers concluded that much has been said around the world about enabling or not enabling Huawei equipment in telecommunications networks, but little has been said about ensuring the security of non-Chinese equipment.