Mobile Network Surveillance Tracking Methods and How to Mitigate Against Them

This list is not exhaustive by any means, but it will serve as a good introduction. I am working on a proper longform post to simplify and flesh out this topic with more detailed, actionable advice.

#cybersecgirl #mobile #tracking #privacytechpro

https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/16/google-geofence-warrants-law-enforcement-privacy/

FBI / Cast Cellular Analysis and Geo-Location Guide 2019 (Unclassified)

https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/21088576/march-2019-fbi-cast-cellular-analysis-geo-location-field-resource-guide.pdf

Mobile Network Surveillance tracking methods include:

Geofencing, Geolocation Trilateration Triangulation

https://tracki.com/pages/how-gps-tracker-works-and-cell-phone-tower-triangulation-accuracy

Stingrays / Aerial Stingrays (Dirtboxes)

https://sls.eff.org/technologies/cell-site-simulators-imsi-catchers

https://puri.sm/posts/taking-the-sting-out-of-stingray/

IMSI

https://www.kicksecure.com/wiki/Mobile_Phone_Security#International_Mobile_Subscribed_Identity_(IMSI)

https://www.whonix.org/wiki/Surveillance_Capabilities

Malicious SMS Re-Routing

https://www.kicksecure.com/wiki/Mobile_Phone_Security#Malicious_SMS_Re-routing

Mobile Device Privacy and Security

https://www.kicksecure.com/wiki/Mobile_Phone_Security#Telephony_Protocols

Bluetooth

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2107.05868

Airtags

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/05/nypd-urges-citizens-to-buy-airtags-to-fight-surge-in-car-thefts/

Full resources:

https://buggedplanet.info/index.php?title=Main_Page

Some Mitigations:

Use GrapheneOS. #GrapheneOS is able to turn off Wifi and bluetooth scanning + GPS.

Faraday bags, airplane mode, modem and sensor kill switches, always-on VPN. Do not autoconnect to WiFi or Bluetooth (keep off when not in use)

RFID (keep off when not in use)

IMEI change

https://www.srlabs.de/blog-post/blue-merle

https://github.com/srlabs/blue-merle

Bluetooth

https://github.com/Semper-Viventem/MetaRadar

AirGuard

https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/airguard-foss-airtag-detector/12391

https://github.com/seemoo-lab/AirGuard

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Discussion

Thx for sharing 🙏

Hackers only need your phone number to locate where you are instantly (ss7).

Also RSA chips (chips that generate randomness in your CPU) are compromised by the NSA (meaning most end to end encryption can be compromised) and on top of that there is Intel's Management Engine, or AMD's Platform Security Processor.

Not to mention Sim Swapping.

Look at Tucker Carlson, how his Signal app got compromised. Signal has quantum proof encryption, yet a sim swap is enough to "break it". They did add usernames to make that method not work anymore, but there are other methods.

Not being tracked is impossible, only thing you can do is make it harder and blend in. But for most people, you're not important enough for the government to care about you. Unless you do something illegally, you shouldn't be too paranoid.

The best thing most people can do (the 20% that do the 80%) is not have social media, use Linux with an encrypted drive, use burner phone numbers, and use old tech like a Thinkpad.

For those interested look at Mental Outlaw on YouTube. Also don't fall into honeypots like this post 😂