![]() Communication Interception – This is the most basic form of hacking performed today.3 Types of Cyber Attacks by IMSI Catchers All they need is a laptop, some cheap hardware that is available on the net, and a few commands to initiate the hacking process in just a few minutes. ![]() The simplistic nature of this mechanism is helping cybercriminals carry out their malicious acts with alarming ease. IMSI Catchers: Blazing Comets in the Cybercrime Space It simply pretends to be a cell tower near your phone, then seamlessly connects to it, and starts to harvest information. This is why the IMSI Catcher is so effective. The issue, however, is that the tower doesn’t have to authenticate back. IMSI is a unique identifier linked to your SIM card and is one of the pieces of data used to authenticate your device to the mobile network. When a device connects to a cell tower, it authenticates to it via its International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). It might, however, not be a genuine mobile provider tower. Mobile phones are constantly looking for the tower with the strongest signal to provide the best reception, which is usually the nearest one. This cybercriminal activity is made possible due to a loophole in the GSM protocol. ![]() This type of hack is also known as a man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack. To make matters worse, the victim is mostly unaware of what is happening. The communications (calls, text messages, Internet traffic, and more) are intercepted, then relayed to the target cell tower of the network carrier. IMSI Catchers act like false cell towers that trick the victim’s device to connect to them. For concerned MNOs, IMSI Catchers and Man in the Middle should be high on the list of attacks they aim to prevent. These devices, also known as Stingrays, can perform a wide range of malicious actions like identity theft, data harvesting, and real-time location tracking. One of the most popular methods used by attackers to infiltrate cellular devices is launching Man in the Middle Attacks using IMSI Catchers. MNOs that want to provide added value to their subscribers should consider the additional layers of security they can offer their subscribers. In the meantime, subscribers themselves are growing increasingly worried about eavesdropping and about their personal data being hijacked by would-be attackers. It’s only a matter of time before MNOs will be held to higher scrutiny and be required to add additional layers of cyber protection to their networks. However, if we are to learn anything from the government crackdown on the corporations charged with collecting, processing, and protecting data transferred via digital communications then Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) should be able to see the writing on the wall. This is an obvious concern for cellular phone users. This hacking tool, although not really new, has become the weapon of choice to target unsuspecting smartphone users. International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) Catchers are wreaking data security havoc on a global scale today. If you think Face ID or fingerprint scanners are keeping the data in your smartphone safe, you are gravely mistaken.
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