Showing posts with label hacker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hacker. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Monday, August 2, 2010
Hacker snoops on GSM cell phones in demo
Intercepts mobile-phone data on the GSM networks used by AT&T and T-Mobile
Despite concerns that federal authorities might fine or arrest him, hacker Chris Paget went ahead with a live demonstration of mobile phone interception at the Defcon hacking conference Saturday.
Using several thousand dollars worth of equipment, Paget was able to intercept mobile-phone data on the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) networks used by AT&T and T-Mobile. He did this using a home-made system he calls an IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) catcher.
Within minutes of activating his IMSI catcher in test mode, Paget had 30 phones connected to the system. Then, with a few keystrokes, he quickly configured the device to spoof an AT&T cell tower.
"As far as your cell phones are concerned I am now indistinguishable from AT&T," he said. He predicted that every AT&T device in the room would connect to his tower, within the next half hour.
Cell phone interception is illegal in the U.S. And while the U.S. Federal Communications Commission had raised questions about his talk, Paget believes that his demonstration was legal because his device was operating in the 900MHz band used by Ham radio devices. Coincidentally, that 900MHz band is used by GSM devices in Europe "As far as your cell pones are concerned I am a European radio transmitter."
Not all GSM devices will connect to Paget's IMSI catcher, however. Quad band phones will connect, but U.S. phones that do not support this 900MHz band will not, he said.
By the end of the demo, Paget actually had fewer phones connected to the network -- just 17 -- something he was at a loss to explain. He said that it was possible that he had mistyped the AT&T network ID and that phones were rejecting his system because of the typo.
Android and iPhone systems would connect, however, he said. "In my experience it's generally the iPhones that connect most easily," he said. "It's actually been the bane of my existence trying to keep the damned iPhones away."
People connected to Paget's system would get a warning message, but they could dial out as normal, but anyone trying to call them would go straight to voicemail.
Paget didn't record or play back any calls, but he could have. His IMSI catcher can get around cell phone encryption by simply telling the connecting phones to drop encryption. "If I decide not to enable encryption I just disable it," he said. "It's that simple."
Earlier this week, it wasn't clear that Paget's talk would go ahead. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) got in touch with Paget Friday morning to express concern and inform him of relevant federal regulations, he said.
The agency raised concerns that Paget's device might transmit over licensed frequencies and that he might unlawfully intercept mobile-phone calls.
On Friday, FCC spokesman Eric Bash said the agency doesn't comment on the legality of specific matters until it fully investigates and takes enforcement action.
(Nancy Gohring in Seattle contributed to this report.)
Robert McMillan covers computer security and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Robert on Twitter at @bobmcmillan. Robert's e-mail address is robert_mcmillan@idg.com
Friday, June 5, 2009
Hackers Targeting Windows XP-Based ATM Machines
by Paul Lilly
We're not going to start hiding our millions under our mattress (that's right, all bloggers roll in obscene amounts of money and own private jets), but the next time we withdraw a wad of cash, it might be a good idea to skip the ATM and flirt with a real live teller instead. That's because about 20 ATMs, mostly in Eastern Europe, have recently been hacked and are thought to be a testing ground before spreading to other ATMs, including those in the U.S.
"Trustwave's SpiderLabs performed the analysis of malware found installed on compromised ATMs in the Eastern European region," TrustWare said. "This malware captures magnetic stripe data and PIN codes from the private memory space of transaction-processing applications installed on a compromised ATM."
According to the report, the compromised ATMs all ran Microsoft's Windows XP operating system. The malware is installed and activated through a dropper file and once compromised, hackers then have full control over the machine via a customized user interface and accessible by inserting a special controller card into the ATM.
"This malware is unlike any we have ever had experiece with," TrustWare added.
Image Credit: ITNews
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