The Guardian broke the news earlier today that China appears to have used mobile phone networks in the Caribbean to surveil US mobile phone subscribers as part of its espionage campaign against Americans, according to a mobile network security expert who has analysed sensitive signals data.
It is clear that Chinese spying will not be going away any time soon, despite the comments by a Chinese embassy spokesperson that said …China is a staunch defender of cybersecurity. (What he likely should have added was \”for itself.\”)
U.S. cellular operators need to harden their cellular networks against such attacks, improving security and privacy for their subscribers.
It’s almost impossible to preserve secure communications using mobile phone networks during international travel – there are too many jurisdictions to be traversed, all with elements of intersecting infrastructure of varying quality. Some of this network consists of legacy components and is going to be affected by significant vulnerabilities.
Compromising such communications is well within the grasp of well-resourced attackers, including nation states. Genuine secure communication can probably only be achieved with end-to-end encryption.
It is clear that Chinese spying will not be going away any time soon, despite the comments by a Chinese embassy spokesperson that said …China is a staunch defender of cybersecurity. (What he likely should have added was \”for itself.\”)
U.S. cellular operators need to harden their cellular networks against such attacks, improving security and privacy for their subscribers.
It’s almost impossible to preserve secure communications using mobile phone networks during international travel – there are too many jurisdictions to be traversed, all with elements of intersecting infrastructure of varying quality. Some of this network consists of legacy components and is going to be affected by significant vulnerabilities.
Compromising such communications is well within the grasp of well-resourced attackers, including nation states. Genuine secure communication can probably only be achieved with end-to-end encryption.