Mysterious Fake Cellphone Towers

[R80RS]

Just saw this in Business Insider. According to the story, many of these towers appear to be near U. S. military installations.

http://www.businessinsider.com/mysterious-fake-cellphone-towers-intercept-calls-2014-9

Another story on these towers from Popular Science...

http://www.popsci.com/article/technology...ting-your-calls

 

[Drew99GT]

I just read this and am researching, but can't find anything about who owns them/controls them. Gives me the warm fuzzies...

 

[Drew99GT]

http://www.computerworld.com/article/260...-one-month.html

 

[R80RS]

Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Gives me the warm fuzzies...


Aside from the obvious likelihood of military espionage, my next thought was theft of financial data, since so many people use smartphones for banking and payments.

 

[Tempest]

South Point casino? I'm not all that far from there. I may have to try and find it.

 

[123Saab]

 

[michaelluscher]

Thank god old school 2G GSM/Edge and 1X 2G CDMA is being phased out by the end of the decade.

 

[OneEyeJack]

Nothing that uses any current technology of any kind is private, nothing. Once you understand and believe that you can make better decisions for using this technology in your day to day world. If for example, having an ATM card is something you choose to do you should be aware of the risk. Same goes for a smart phone. Most people ignore the risks and that's good for business, both selling the devices and technology, selling protection and attacking the systems for fun and profit. In fact, the more people that do ignore the risks the better it is for me because I take steps to avoid the risks and those that would do me harm go after easier targets.

 

[JHZR2]

So is there a way to easily force phones to NOT use 2G? Is data over 4G/3G/2G encryptable? What if one tunnled to a VPN even if over 2G?

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: R80RS
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Gives me the warm fuzzies...


Aside from the obvious likelihood of military espionage, my next thought was theft of financial data, since so many people use smartphones for banking and payments.


Since military bases contain a bunch of employed 18-21 year olds, with the youthful naiveté you'd expect, ripping off their money is plausible. If it hurts morale, so much better for the foreign jerks pulling this.

 

[hatt]

Originally Posted By: 123Saab

LOL. You must work for the government. IMSI catchers, stingrays, etc are well known and very common.

 

[OtisBlkR1]

Originally Posted By: 123Saab

 

[michaelluscher]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
So is there a way to easily force phones to NOT use 2G? Is data over 4G/3G/2G encryptable? What if one tunnled to a VPN even if over 2G?


Not gonna happen.
You can't have a foil hat, and be a practical modern adult as well

You may be able to force your phone down to a particular radio, but no carrier in America has fully offloaded there legacy networks for voice.

VoLTE, and HD-Audio calls are coming, but its taking time.
And if "they" want your call, they'll get it.

 

[splinter]

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Nothing that uses any current technology of any kind is private, nothing...


^

This

+1

 

[Mystic]

It is only a matter of time before we find out who put those towers up. They can't hide it forever.

I was the first one in the group of people I as traveling with to notice a tower that was disguised with fake tree limbs. I pointed out to people I travel with a great deal. I don't know if that tower is one of the ones they are talking about.

If a foreign government put those towers up, the Homeland Security Department is going to be pretty embarrassed. Or perhaps I should say they SHOULD be embarrassed. Maybe they wouldn't be.

If the US government put those towers up I think there is going to be an outcry about invasion of personal privacy. And hearings in Washington DC.

If some criminal organization put the towers up what were the local authorities and police doing? Anybody stop to ask any questions?

Whoever put the towers up had to get permits and permission and hire construction crews to build the towers.

Whatever the answers are, we are going to find out eventually. And there will be consequences of some kind, depending on who put the towers up and what they were using them for.

 

[michaelluscher]

Take the tin foil hat off......
A disguised cell phone tower isn't a ex Soviet plot

That's been done purely for aesthetics
Carrier's and leasing companies often make them look like "things" flag poles, trees, street lamps, and even mini towers on utility poles. It's done because a ordinary tower would be such a damm eye sore to Suzie soccer mom. And god forbid you should put one near a school, because think of the children!