29 Jul Researchers at Black Hat Reveal 3G and 4G LTE Has Issues Prone to Surveillance
Last Wednesday, Lucca Hirschi and Ravishankar Borgaonkar presented a research at the Black Hat convention that showed a cryptographic error on 3G and 4G LTE networks which can be exploited to monitor user activity.
3G and 4G LTE were thought to be impenetrable from stealth tracking, but the recent research shows that there is a flaw in the network’s verification agreement. Its door, researchers found, was unstable and could partly leak.
When compromised, cyber attackers can monitor when users dial calls, send text messages, and even know where the phone’s location is. However, it cannot interrupt text messages or calls.
Since the network technology is widespread, the researchers said that users can’t do much to secure themselves from threats because cellphone systems cannot uncover radio attacks.
The researchers also stated that a prominent telecommunications organization has already recognized the flaw in the networks. They intend to patch the issue with the coming 5G LTE.
Source: ZD Net
