The signals from the false base station at the junction of Rådhusgata and Skippergata in Oslo flashes for 20-30 seconds. Then they disappear.
Some minutes later the radio signals back. They are too strong, and they come from a place they would not come.
The alarm goes on the advanced Falcon II equipment to security experts Aftenposten cooperates. We have once again picked up signals from an IMSI-catcher, a false base station.
According to the measurements coming signals from monitoring station only 50 to 100 meters from us, hidden in an office, a window, a car or a small suitcase.
It stands hidden a few hundred meters from the Prime Minister’s Office (SMK), Ministry of Defence, Defence and Norges Bank.
IMSI catch holders
Among the intelligence people, police or military called surveillance equipment in use in Oslo “IMSI catchere”, “grabbere” or “stingrays”.
They are the size of a computer or less and cost between 10,000 dollars and 12 million.
An IMSI catcher trying to make themselves as attractive as possible so that your mobile rather choose the above all the usual, legal base stations nearby.
It offers good coverage, strong signals and other data that will fool your mobile.
– It is precisely this that also makes them quite easy to detect if you know what you are looking for, says Kyrre Sletsjøe, who heads security company CEPI Technologies that have made measurements for Aftenposten.
How an IMSI-catcher:
Mobile Espionage explained: How an IMSI-catcher
In addition duplicates the cell structure to the regular base stations. The difference is that many of them emit signals for short periods, then disappear from cellular few minutes.
User expensive equipment in Oslo
The base stations as revealed under Aftenposten measurements around parliament and government offices are probably the expensive type in a price range between NOK 500,000 two million dollars.
– One of IMSI catch forwards we have registered are so technologically advanced that it operates on two bands says Jahn-Helge Flesvik in security company Aeger.
This type of monitoring equipment is extra expensive and uses a lot less time to pick up and identify a cell phone.
The first step in further monitoring
IMSI catchere can in the first phase only used to collect data from simcard. The most advanced can capture hundreds of numbers in minutes.
As fast as your mobile phone is captured by a false base station, it will want to know that you are near and could control what gets mobile allowed to do.
Then IMSI catcher go into an active phase to eavesdrop selected mobile phone calls.
Then go gear over what is called “active mode “to attract the selected mobile phone. If you call, the false base station transmit the call to the real GSM system. But monitors sitting in the middle and can hear everything being said.
It can also capture text messages. In addition, it can install spyware on your mobile which makes it possible to turn on the microphone without using your mobile phone. When will mobile could be used for covert audio surveillance.
Been in use for many years
Although Aftenposten survey is the first of its kind in Norway, safety authorities, the police, intelligence people, criminals and spies used such equipment for over 10 years.
The equipment is very effective in finding and investigation of specific individuals and criminal groups. It is also used to take control of mobile traffic in an area to prevent detonation of remote controlled bombs.
The challenge is that the price is now much lower, not least thanks to Chinese piracy.
In other European countries, both criminals, journalists and intelligence people have been caught red-handed with IMSI catchere.
In February 1500 individuals arrested with fake base stations in China.
The revelations of American Edward Snowden showed that US authorities brought in enormous amounts of mobile data worldwide with such equipment.
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