How does listening to a mobile phone work? Protection from it

How does listening to mobile phones and cellular communications in particular? What types of listening exist? How to protect from listening? Listening is the process of intercepting / receiving a copy of a conversation by a third party. Listening is used both for domestic purposes, for example, tracking the other half, and in business interests, for example, to denigrate the reputation of a competitor.

Protect your network

The global system of mobile communications (GSM) was introduced gradually, adhering to all state standards. Similar rules, most states, as before, set a ban on the use of highly professional encryption systems.

Nevertheless, companies that provide cellular services prefer rather strong encryption algorithms in combination with a demanding internal security policy. Activation of the encryption system takes place directly at the stage of establishing communication between the subscriber and the station. Despite all the assurances of mobile operators, information about a particular subscriber on the black market can be obtained for just a few tens of dollars.

Active and passive listening

There are two methods of listening to the subscriber: active and passive. With a passive method of listening, you need to purchase the appropriate equipment on the black market, the range of such devices is about half a kilometer, and the cost - starting with several hundred thousand euros. Manufacturers of such equipment claim that their listening systems allow you to track GSM-call of the subscriber in real time both by accessing the SIM card and by accessing the database of the mobile operator, so you will receive your copy of the conversation of your goal. In the event that you do not have such access, then the conversation will be listened with a delay, in view of the fact that it takes time to decrypt the connection.

The active listening method is an order of magnitude different from the one described above. In this case, a more aggressive technique is used, in which the listening equipment becomes an intermediary between the subscriber and the base station, interfering with the connection of the subscriber. Moreover, using this attack method, an attacker can use any control function of the connection: connect the subscriber with the required number, use a less secure encryption algorithm or even disable it, etc.

How to determine?

It is impossible to determine exactly what is happening on your smartphone. Previously, in mobile phones, a lock image was displayed that demonstrates whether encryption is active or not, but modern smartphones do not have this feature. However, it can be fixed using special software. However, it's worth noting that third-party software is not aimed at leveling out the possibility of listening, but only to notify you of its probability at the moment.

How to defend yourself?

One of the brightest representatives of this category of software is EAGLE Security. This application is aimed at protecting you from the three most common listening methods: malicious software, active listening and, in plans - passive listening!

Protection against malware occurs through manual control of application permissions, such as access to the camera and microphone. Protection from active listening tracks identifiers of base stations and checks their signature, the most interesting thing here is that the station is also checked for compliance with Russian standards, and if it changes the location of its location (the mobile complex for active wiretapping moves around the city), it automatically marks as suspicious. The developers of this software, also promise that the future will be available encryption of conversations and an automatic system for changing IMEI.