Secret mobile phone codes cracked

Secret mobile phone codes cracked

news.bbc.co.uk

Karsten Nohl, working with other experts, has spent the past five months cracking the algorithm used to encrypt calls using GSM technology.

GSM is the most popular standard for mobile networks around the world.

The work could allow anyone - including criminals - to eavesdrop on private phone conversations.

Mr Nohl told the Chaos Communication Congress in Berlin that the work showed that GSM security was "inadequate"

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So the algorithm has been cracked. My first thought is that the security was not inadequate. Since the computer expert was working for five months with a team in order to crack the code. I think anything can be cracked if you put enough resources into it. However, since the code has been cracked, it means that code needs to stop being used. So I do hope there is the next level of code that is ready to be used.

news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

It does seem that there was a next version of encryption that is ready to be phased in, but with the currents release of information, I would think a good coder might be able to create a program capable to reduce the cost, still seems to rather expensive, so hopefully will not be a major problem in the very near future.

gsm is phasing out anyway. 3g 3.5g and in japan 4g is where its at. the plan is to leave GSM for fridges and washers to be able to communicate with service centres and supermarkets to order parts and food automatically.

reply to post by okamitengu


So devious people will be listening to what kinds of foods we are eating and ordering. That could be embarrassing for some.

reply to post by okamitengu

he plan is to leave GSM for fridges and washers to be able to communicate with service centres and supermarkets to order parts and food automatically.

Oh how i hope i live to see such a day.

Seriously!

Yes, unfortunately 3g+++ is getting more and more widespread.

Sure pump us with even more radiation, the current cancer epidemic? Tsc, peanuts that.

Originally posted by Desolate Cancer
reply to post by okamitengu

 

So devious people will be listening to what kinds of foods we are eating and ordering. That could be embarrassing for some.

I have a friend who works in hi-end telecom equipment area. Without much detail, he said that much of mobile phone traffic is already tapped in by agencies of all sorts, around the world. So this is "kinda" news, not really anything new...

GSM was designed a long time ago, so it's naturally only a matter of time before computers would advance such that they crack it. It used to take 15 min to decrypt a DVD a decade ago, now it takes a split second.