A Hacked Mobile Antenna In A Backpack Could Spy On Cell Phone Conversations

Two security experts at iSEC told Reuters that they have developed a system that costs only $250 for devices, and that almost anyone can build a mobile spy station that can illegally access any Verizon device. Want to experience the NSA feeling?

The hacking relies on small cellular base stations, a small mobile antenna sold by wireless carriers such as Verizon and AT&T, which acts similar to very small cellular towers. You usually use a small cellular base station where there is no cellular service; plug it into a broadband connection and it will provide a powerful signal in a range of about 40 feet. Verizon calls its model a "network extender" and costs $250, but it's even cheaper. This particular attack is the first attack against CDMA networks like Verizon (CDMA is a network protocol used by Sprint and Verizon. T-Mobile, AT&T, and almost all European and Asian networks use the GSM protocol), but there is no reason to think that small cellular base stations on other networks will not be hacked in a similar way.

The two security experts have found a way (they did not disclose) to hack Verizon's small cellular base station, which, according to Reuters, "eavesdropping on text messages, photos and phones sent using Android phones and iPhones." But the most worrying thing is that these small cellular base stations are quite portable; using extra antennas to enhance the 40-foot range and power bank, you can put the hacked small cellular base station in a backpack, put it in a crowded place, and then hack anyone who mistakenly uses the network.

This is especially insidious because unlike Wi-Fi connections, users cannot tell whether they are connected to a small cellular base station or a regular tower. Cellular services do not require login or confirmation; assuming you want to connect to your network within the scope of any device that can connect to you. There are no alerts for the same reason that you won't get an alert when you switch from connecting to one tower to another: this happens too often and is unlikely to be hacked.

However, small cellular base stations can obviously be hacked. Security experts have not explained how to do it, and they will disclose it in a few weeks at two hacker conferences in Las Vegas (Black Hat and Def Con conferences).

Verizon said that once they realized the security breach, they patched their small cellular base station to plug it. iSEC people say the small cellular base station they were hacked was still valid because they hacked it before the patch was released in March. This means that the hack is no longer of much use for the perpetrators, but it may suggest that hacking small cellular base stations is not as difficult as Verizon hopes.

Reuters

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