Fake mobile masts and how businesses can respond

Peter Matthews, Metro CEO, in Business Cloud Magazine discussing fake mobile phone masts and how businesses can respond.

Extract:

FAKE PHONE MAST THREAT TO BIG BUSINESS

Peter Matthews, CEO of Metro Communications, outlines danger as ‘stingray’ towers drop to just $300 on dark web

Did you know that fake mobile phone masts – once the preserve of government spies and major law enforcement – are now available to common criminals for just $300 online?

It’s a scary thought that these fake mobile towers, which work by intercepting information from passing phones, are so low in price that anyone wanting to hack calls and sell data can buy them.

Back in 2015, over 20 fake phone masts were uncovered in London during an investigation by Sky News. It was assumed that these ‘stingray’ mobile towers were being used by the police or intelligence officers to scoop up data from nearby mobiles, listen in on calls and sniff out communication between terrorists or other criminals.

At the time, this caused controversy because the masts are unable to distinguish between criminals’ phones and the devices used by everyone else – meaning that they pick up on every voice call, text and group chat.

The use of IMSI-catchers, as they are also known, certainly isn’t restricted to the UK. Fake phone masts are deployed by law enforcement and spy programmes all over the world.

To read more please go to Business Cloud Magazine