Cell phone carriers use SS7 to collect location information
Mobile operators use Signaling System 7 (also known as SS7) to collect location information from mobile devices. This data has many uses, including tracking people's movements. But did you know that hackers can all use the same signal?
You may have heard of SS7, the standard cell phone carriers use to collect location information. You'll learn how this technology works and how to protect yourself from it.
In the past, only large network operators could query data. However, this has changed in recent years. These services are hosted on global cellular networks and can share information with other service providers. Anyone can now request access to data, including emerging mobile phone carriers, VoIP providers and third-party text messaging services.
However, it has serious security holes. This means that the underlying infrastructure only has access to control signals and does not have access to the caller's voice path. This protocol is widely used in mobile networks. SS7 uses an out-of-band signaling protocol called common channel signaling.
Another example of how mobile phone operators use ss7 is when roaming is established. Data transmitted by cell phone operators can be intercepted and misused, leading to security threats. Roaming is a service that allows mobile phone users to make calls from outside their network.
The SS7 protocol is an international standard for telecommunication networks. By hacking into the standard, attackers have the same capabilities as mobile operators and intelligence agencies. During roaming, foreign operators require the caller's phone ID. In turn, this data is used to redirect communications.
Mobile operators can also use this method to monitor where people are and how they use their phones. By intercepting SS7 signals, attackers can obtain location information from cellular networks.
If you want to protect yourself from surveillance and avoid being located while walking around town, a gps jammer will prevent any device from picking up these signals in the process. This makes it harder for people using generic GPS devices to find their exact location without turning on their phone's location services.