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	"title": "Researchers exploit cellular tech flaws to intercept phone calls",
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	"authors": "",
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	"plain_text": "Researchers exploit cellular tech flaws to intercept phone calls\r\nBy jvijayan\r\nPublished: 2013-08-01 · Archived: 2026-04-06 02:10:07 UTC\r\nLAS VEGAS — Researchers showed a Black Hat audience how femotcell technology, used by phone companies\r\nto boost cell phone coverage, can be hacked to intercept cell phone calls, text messages and other data.\r\nTom Ritter and Doug DePerry , researchers from iSec Partners, used an femtocell from Verizon to demonstrate\r\nhow hackers can eavesdrop on phone conversations and see text messages and photos sent or received by nearby\r\ncell phone users.\r\nThe femtocells used by other phone carriers can be exploited as well, the researchers noted at the hacker\r\nconference here this week.\r\nFemtocells are small, low-power base stations provided by phone companies to extend cellular coverage,\r\nespecially inside buildings and facilities with spotty coverage. The devices use cable or DSL services to connect to\r\na service providers’ network.\r\nNearby mobile phones automatically connect to femtocells if both are from the same service provider. The phone\r\nsends all traffic through the femtocell.\r\nRitter and DePerry gained root access to the Linux operating system used in Verizon’s femotcell by interfacing\r\nwith he device via an HDMI port at the base of the system. Then they used the root access to tweak the femtocell\r\nto intercept voice and text messages from cell phones connected to the device.\r\nAs part of the demonstration, the researchers intercepted text messages sent by some of those at the presentation\r\nand replayed audio of a phone call made by one of the researchers during the demo. They also showed how root\r\naccess on a femotcell can be used to clone cell phones connected to the device.\r\nThe researchers noted that Verizon patched the flaw in its femtocells after it was notified. But they added that\r\nfemtocells from other vendors are vulnerable to the same kind of exploits.\r\nAlex Watson, director of security research at Websense Inc said the research by Ritter and DePerry shows how\r\ncellular networks are as susceptible to security vulnerabilities as WiFi networks. He noted that service providers\r\nare deploying femtocells in growing numbers to expand their coverage, exposing a lot of users to potential hacks.\r\n“They showed that cellular networks are not bullet proof. They showed that cellular technologies do have flaws\r\nand cannot be taken as perfect,” he said.\r\nIT security managers should pay attention to such risks and ensure that cell phones that connect to the corporate\r\nnetwork have multiple layers of protection, including encryption of data at rest and in transmission.\r\nhttp://www.computerworld.com/article/2484538/cybercrime-hacking/researchers-exploit-cellular-tech-flaws-to-intercept-phone-calls.html\r\nPage 1 of 2\n\nJaikumar Vijayan covers data security and privacy issues, financial services security and e-voting for\r\nComputerworld. Follow Jaikumar on Twitter at @jaivijayan, or subscribe to Jaikumar’s RSS feed . His email\r\naddress is jvijayan@computerworld.com.\r\nSource: http://www.computerworld.com/article/2484538/cybercrime-hacking/researchers-exploit-cellular-tech-flaws-to-intercept-phone-calls.h\r\ntml\r\nhttp://www.computerworld.com/article/2484538/cybercrime-hacking/researchers-exploit-cellular-tech-flaws-to-intercept-phone-calls.html\r\nPage 2 of 2",
	"extraction_quality": 1,
	"language": "EN",
	"sources": [
		"MITRE"
	],
	"references": [
		"http://www.computerworld.com/article/2484538/cybercrime-hacking/researchers-exploit-cellular-tech-flaws-to-intercept-phone-calls.html"
	],
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