Smartphone tracking devices found at Canadian airport

Image: Jorge Díaz , Flickr

An investigation by Radio-Canada reporters revealed the use of specialized spy devices (IMSI-catcher) at the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport in Montreal. Earlier, journalists found the same devices in the immediate vicinity of the Canadian Parliament and foreign embassies in Ottawa.

Devices, also called StingRay, impersonate base stations of mobile communication - smartphones connect to it, which allows attackers to obtain data on unique telephone identifiers (IMSI).

Discover such ' IMSI catchers'“Reporters managed using CryptoPhone - this is a special device that alerts the user about attempts by fake base stations to catch a smartphone signal. Several such attempts were recorded in that part of the airport where flights to the United States are landing.



Search for spy base stations

Experts at CryptoPhone, an ESD America company developer, have analyzed the attempts of signal interception discovered by journalists. According to them, spy devices were used to track the smartphone, and also almost certainly made it possible to listen to conversations in real time.

Journalists were unable to establish exactly who installed the IMSI devices at the airport. Representatives of the Canadian police and special services refused to discuss their methods of collecting information. The US Embassy also declined to comment. Airport management company Aéroports de Montréal announced that it does not use IMSI catchers.

With the development of technology, many legends, myths and rumors have surfaced on the Internet about the dangers posed by the use of mobile phones.

On Thursday, April 13 at 14:00 , Positive Technologies experts Dmitry Kasymov and Kirill Puzankov will hold a webinar during which they will prove one and disprove other myths. Is it possible to track down a switched off phone, or are robbers in films just hostages of technical illiteracy? Is it true that attackers can intercept SMS from anywhere in the world? Is teleportation from the center of Moscow to Vnukovo possible and who needs it?

The webinar will be interesting to a wide audience and does not require special training or education in the IT field. Participation is free, you can register at the following link: www.ptsecurity.com/en-us/research/webinar/218832/