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Mobile Call Interception Threatens Law Enforcement

Despite the efforts of law enforcement and government agencies to conceal their use of IMSI
catchers (also known as stingrays) this cat is long out of the bag and several miles down the
road. However, what the somewhat outraged general public may not understand is that this
mobile call interception technology has already evolved to the point where it is affordable to
many people and organizations around the world, not just first-world government agencies.
Mobile call interception devices can now be easily built and assembled by non-government
personnel with decent technical know-how. It is frightening to think that criminal organizations
now have many of the same surveillance capabilities as the authorities do. So, what does all
this mean for law enforcement itself?

Criminal Enterprises & Mobile Surveillance

Criminal organizations have always gathered information on innocent people in order to extort
them with kidnapping for ransom, blackmail, and other threats. Through mobile call interception,
these criminals are even more empowered to gather valuable personal information such as the
names and locations of family members and the daily activities of the target and those closest to
him or her.

This is especially disconcerting for anyone working in law enforcement. Not only does mobile
call interception place authorities in danger, but it puts their family members and friends in
harm's way as well. With this surveillance technology, criminals can easily discover who's
working undercover and who they need to extort to get what they want.

Also, major terrorist organizations like ISIS and Al Qaeda that have deep pockets are more than
capable of using the same mobile surveillance equipment against the authorities that are trying
to stop them.

The Common Use of Stingrays

The existence of unidentified rogue cell phone towers around the U.S. was reported last
August. These rogue towers, also known as IMSI catchers, not only capture International Mobile
Subscriber Identities (IMSIs), but they are also capable of call surveillance and SMS
interception.

These rogue cell phone towers are just the tip of the iceberg. There are surely many more out
there, and these fake mobile towers definitely aren't only in the U.S.

Mobile call interceptors are manufactured and sold abroad, and in most places, common
criminals are making significant use of them. For instance, over 1,500 people were arrested in
China last year for using IMSI catchers to spam people via SMS.

56 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – May 2015 Edition
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