81–90 of 101 posts
Is Milenage still a safe protocol? Or are all of these stingrays still dependent upon forcing you to switch down to the older 2G protocols?
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Depends on how much the devices cost to procure, and the budget of the party using them. Seems like these could be treated as "black-throws" given the right cost:budget ratio.
OpenBTS and Ettus USPR (software defined radios) have made it inexpensive enough for hobbyists to set up cellular base stations at Burningman. The difference between an open source base station, and a homebuilt stingray in negligible. While a grand or two's worth of radio hardware and however many weekends/evenings spent getting it all set up and the a software configured is _kind of_ expensive - it's effectively fre…
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blackthrow or svartkast is a term for a device left behind in potentially hostile territory to continue operating until it is discovered or fails
For example an imsi catcher spliced into 120vac power and stuffed up into a ceiling tile in a busy shopping mall. I bet that with a stepladder, a clipboard and two guys in high visibility vests, a set of electrician tools, you could do this at nearly any mall in America.
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Yes, though DF can be much more efficient with directional (yagi, parabolic, horn) antennas. If fully automated by network the antennas connected to the spectrum analyzers need to be on two axis motorized platforms.
It would be easier to, you know, secure wireless communications to begin with. It's not like the Feds couldn't arrange to have stingrays that are properly keyed. (And there's always CALEA.) Yes, I know, it would only be easier for new kit, but it will take a long time to get it deployed. But every year we delay this makes the pain worse.
Can someone please explain to me why this cell security problem seems to be completely ignored? If encryption algorithms are broken, they're phased out and untrusted. But if 2g is insecure, there's not a single peep from networks or phone manufactures or Google or Apple about phasing out 2g. There isn't even an option to disable it. Why don't towers have a sort of encryption certificate verifying they're legit? Why d…
It's not the algo. The keys are the problem
A5/2 which is the precursor to the encryption used for 3G and LTE is a lot better but there's still issues that are only just coming to light.
I work in wireless telecom: Really doubtful "we don't know how to find them". The FCC's enforcement bureau has a set of vans equipped to find unauthorized transmitters. IMSI catchers must transmit and remain on the air. It would be very risky to operate, even briefly, a portable imsi catcher in a briefcase and move it around WA DC, nevermind one that remained in fixed locations for hours. The only other explanation I…
Disinformation is a powerful tool.
# Added link. https://esdcryptophone.com/
I work in wireless telecom: Really doubtful "we don't know how to find them". The FCC's enforcement bureau has a set of vans equipped to find unauthorized transmitters. IMSI catchers must transmit and remain on the air. It would be very risky to operate, even briefly, a portable imsi catcher in a briefcase and move it around WA DC, nevermind one that remained in fixed locations for hours. The only other explanation I…
Relevant: http://www.cryptomuseum.com/covert/bugs/selectric/index.htm
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For example an imsi catcher spliced into 120vac power and stuffed up into a ceiling tile in a busy shopping mall. I bet that with a stepladder, a clipboard and two guys in high visibility vests, a set of electrician tools, you could do this at nearly any mall in America.
How do you get the sniffed data, though? You're gonna need some form of high bandwidth uplink.
Then when you walk around, sit in the food court eating, or if the device is close to the outside, sit somewhere out of sight of the cameras with a strong wifi antennae and grab whatever data.
Unless they have some "free" wifi that the device could hop on to send it to some server somewhere.
Using that and / or 4g would make it easier to find the device and, of course, the person though.
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Theoretically possible. Using current off the shelf tech, several imsi catchers could be networked together by normal LTE data networks with battle tested VPN crypto. Doable with any mifi type hotspot device or even just a modern phone and tethering. People with high end spectrum analyzers and directional antennas would struggle to locate a thing that only powers on for 1-2 minutes, and the relocated to a random loca…
> networked together The manufacturer bears responsibility for misuse given the current state of the market; this is why markets exist, to trade information. If there is a genuine inability to communicate, then the market ceases to exist. Open societies favor markets for a reason: communication, open lines of communication, and stable ones at that. There are all kinds of ways a computer virus can infect a system that…