TECH

What are and how Stingrays work, 'spy' devices that track cell phones

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it had identified "atypical activities" in Washington stemming from the use of spy devices known as "Stingrays" capable of intercepting calls and messages.
The use of this type of apparatus by foreign countries worries US authorities for some time, but this would be the first time the government has publicly confirmed their unauthorized use in Washington.
Users of these devices could be foreign spies and even criminals. The US government did not elaborate on the suspicions.
Stingrays are used legally in the country by the authorities, especially by the FBI.

How it works
Stingray is in fact the brand name of an IMSI interceptor type ("International Subscriber Identity of a Mobile Phone") and is now generally used to refer to surveillance devices that simulate the operation of telephony towers - and who are able to detect signals from mobile phones.
They are usually the size of a folder and send signals that "cheat" the cell phones so that the devices transmit their location and identify information.
This way, they make the cell phones in that region connect and share their IMSI number and the electronic serial number (ESN). And they can also reveal the exact location of the user.

Besides the device can recognize where the device is, it can also receive information from nearby cell phones. The more sophisticated versions are even capable of listening to calls. To do this, they force the devices to connect to the internet using a 2G connection, a much less secure way than the others.

Normally, Stingrays are placed on the underside of a vehicle and in some cases can be installed even on some types of aircraft.
One way to protect themselves from them would be to encrypt as much as possible the forms of cellular communication using advanced authentication systems and ultra-secure messaging services.

Police useA letter dated March 26 sent by Oregon Senator Ron Wyden was the fact that gave the subject's visibility. He asked the authorities for information on this type of device.The response he received suggests that there were not many measures being taken with regard to this type of apparatus. Officials said they "observed some unusual activities in the region of the capital that appeared to be related to IMSI interceptors."He added that he observed similar activity "outside the capital of the country," although he had not been able to "confirm or assign this activity to specific entities or devices."The use of Stingrays by United States police forces is being monitored by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).So far, 73 agencies have been identified in 25 states that have this type of device, but it is believed that there may be many others in use that have not been formally declared.

In a 2014 report, the ACLU revealed that the state of Florida spent about $ 3 million on Stingrays. Police there said, however, that it could not give details on the use of this technology.
That response, according to ACLU lawyer Nathan Wessler, was "unacceptable."
"This technology raises serious issues under the Fourth Amendment (regulations that protect the right to privacy and the right not to suffer an arbitrary invasion)," said the expert.
"People have the right to full disclosure of the records in order to participate in an informed debate about the legality and scope of these devices and to be able to supervise their use," he added.

There is concern in Washington that such devices may be being used by unauthorized agencies such as foreign governments.
Following the release of this report, made at the request of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the institution that regulates radio waves in the United States, no further investigations were made.

Innocent peopleStingrays have been used for several years and are widely known by the FBI, explained Jane Wakefield, the BBC's technology correspondent."What's new is that local authorities seem to have acquired these devices now.We have evidence that the Arizona, California, and Florida police are using it.We wanted to move forward in Florida to get a better idea of ​​what is happening elsewhere" , said the ACLU lawyer in 2014.According to the investigators, some authorities use this system to have more data on suspects. The problem is that it is not known to what extent they respect citizens."We have some questions about how this works, because he can get the location and information of hundreds of thousands of innocent people," Wessler told the BBC."And we do not know what policies these police departments have to protect people's information ... if they use any filtering software or if they resort to a judge in resolving those cases."

bbc.com