From: No <nonomos@mail.com> fyi https://techcrunch.com/2017/06/02/who-catches-the-imsi-catchers-researchers-...
Who catches the IMSI catchers? Researchers demonstrate Stingray detection kit Posted Jun 2, 2017 by Devin Coldewey
Next Story Storyzy is a quote verifier that wants to skewer fake news Who catches the IMSI catchers? Researchers demonstrate Stingray detection kit
IMSI catchers, devices used to spoof cell towers and interceptcommunications, are one of the most resented open secrets of law enforcement. Strict non-disclosure agreements prevent them from being acknowledged as existing, let alone being used — but researchers think they’ve found a way to spot the shady signal-snatchers.
A few years ago, maybe 2012 or 2013, I read an article which indicated that any cell phone, even one that had to active service, would be activated in the presence of an IMSI device. I speculated, on Cypherpunks, that it would be easily to build an IMSI detector using a power source feeding such an inactive phone, with a current detector in place. Ordinarily, that phone would dissipate a small current, which would be increased if an IMSI activated it. The article describes a substantially more sophisticated implementation, much like a website such as WIGLE.NET https://wigle.net/ maps WiFi sites. It presumably records the signal strength of the cell site that activates the target phone, and eventually draws a map of its computed location. Jim Bell ×