What is an IMSI Catcher?

An international mobile subscriber identity-catcher, or IMSI-catcher is a device used for mobile phone surveillance.They are also often referred to as a Stingray or Stingray Suveillance device. It serves as a MITM (Man in the Middle) attack by broadcasting a cell phone signal stronger than that of nearby cell phone towers. As a result the mobile phone being attacked connects to the IMSI catcher, which then can inject malware or other malicious code. Because it is a passive system, any mobile phone that connects to the IMSI catcher before connecting to the nearby cell phone tower thus gets infected with the malicious code the operator of the device wishes to install on your device.

What are the Legitimate Uses for an IMSI Catcher?

An IMSI Catcher is a special surveillance systems capable of helping law enforcement officers monitor cell phones and collect data. Officers can identify the exact location of a suspect even if that person isn’t on their phone. For a Stingray device  to function, the targeted cellular phone simply needs to be on. The IMSI Catchers are present within all cell phones, and it lets mobile networks track individual mobile phones and link them to their respective network plans.

How can a Stingray device help prevent crime?

The units of the Police and Border Patrol rely heavily on this system. To track cellular phones, officials had to contact the network service provider before this system was made available.This was a long-drawn process and often enabled criminals to flee. Armed with an IMSI catcher, law enforcement agencies can now track any cell phone without the network service providers having to get involved.

Is using an IMSI Catcher ethical?

Now whether or not an IMSI catcher detector is ethical is a subject matter that has been debated very frequently. For iPhone users, there is a misconception that their phones are protected and are therefore free from IMSI catchers. That just isn’t real. For these Stingray devices, both Android and iOS devices can be effortlessly tracked.

What threat does an IMSI Catcher pose to security?

Organizations are worried about their information’s autonomy and the duty to comply with international laws. With ever more stringent data protection and governance rules, the issue of data residence is about to get more complex and dangerous.Surveillance assumes a different character when it becomes more ordinary, daily users. IMSI-catchers value and threat are exacerbated when a lot more people are able to deploy one using cheap Amazon apps and free Github code.

Are stingray devices available to civilians?

Yes. They are also possible to build oneself as mentioned above. One can purchase an IMSI Catcher on alibaba.com for $1800, or using the method described above, they can build a well functioning one for approximately $20 in parts and utilize open source code for the backend operation.

How can I protect myself against an IMSI Catcher MITM attack?

The simplest thing you can do to protect your privacy is to install a few apps on your smartphone, to shield the content of your communications from those who prefer to use a Stingray device in order to violate your privacy .It is a fairly sure bet that both Signal (for the iPhone) and Redphone (for Android) defeat the wiretap capabilities of the IMSI catcher. You can use TextSecure and ChatSecure to achieve the same for texting and chatting.There are two additional apps worth mentioning: SnoopSnitch and IMSI-Catcher Detector Ios, both for Iphone. No device will stop the cops from connecting to your mobile, but they may be in a position to alert you to a stingray in your vicinity.

Where can I find more information about how Stingray devices are used?

The below video I found fairly informative, and the related video links in the YouTube sidebar should provide additional resources for those more curious about this security vulnerability.