German researchers have revealed that flaws in technology from the 1980s allows hackers anywhere in the world to snoop into your private mobile phone calls and text messages.
Security researchers Tobias Engel of Sternraute and Karsten Nohl, chief scientist for Security Research Labs, have discovered a number of security flaws in the Signalling System 7 (SS7) network, which was first designed in 1980 and is still in use today, that enable hackers to locate callers, listen to calls or record encrypted conversations for use at a later date.
The SS7 network utilizes a series of protocols to enable cellular carriers around the world to route calls, messaging texts and similar services to each other.
The researchers have warned that even networks employing protective measures will remain vulnerable to the attack, as hackers could get hold of African or Asian mobile phone network and target customer in the US or UK.
“It’s like you secure the front door of the house, but the back door is wide open,” said Tobias Engel, one of the German researchers, told the Washington Post.
As per the research report, there are two primary methods that can be used to intercept phone calls over the SS7 network. The first involves taking over a cell phone’s “forwarding” function to listen in on calls, which can be established anywhere in the world. The other involves use of radio antennas to collect calls and texts in a particular area.
The German researchers are expected to reveal the full extent of their findings in a presentation at a hacker conference in Hamburg sometime later this week.
