A computer security researcher has built a device for just $1,500 that can intercept cell phone calls and record everything that’s said. Chris Paget showed off his device during a talk at the DefCon hacker conference in Las Vagas, which uses only a laptop and 2 external antennas. The hack involves tricking nearby cell phones into sending outgoing calls through his device instead of the legitimate cell tower. The call is then routed over the internet, leading the user to believe all is well, while Paget logs everything along the way.
There are some caveats to his attack. First is that only GSM users are vulnerable, meaning that calls made over CDMA or UMTS/HSPA networks are not effected. Second, the caller id will not function propertly, and calls will come from unknown numbers. Paget claims it would be an easy upgrade to the software to fool the recipients Caller ID.
Paget said he hoped his talk would spur increased adoption of more secure cellular technologies.
“GSM is broken — it’s just plain broken,” he said.
Source: AP, MobileBeat
Mickey Papillon
Joey Koppes
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