We're probably not telling you anything new when we tell you that hackers are increasingly sophisticated in their attacks to make them more effective. Therefore, it's essential that you know What is a Stingray attack?.
Protecting yourself is very important, because this system has the ability to access a large amount of information from your phone without you even realizing it.
What is a Stingray attack?
This type of cybercrime is also known as IMSI-catcher attack, in reference to International Mobile Subscriber Identity catcher.
Under this complex name what is hidden is a technique that uses a device to simulate a legitimate cell phone tower.
To make mobile telephony as convenient as it really is, phones automatically connect to the tower from which they receive the strongest signal.
If you're walking down the street, your cell phone may switch connections from one tower to another to always offer you the best coverage. This, which is great for staying connected, has become a new risk.
What the Stingray does is emit a signal that is stronger than those emitted by nearby real towersAs a result, mobile phones within its range connect to it.
While in the Phishing They try to trick us into giving access to our data. In this attack, what they do is directly trick our mobile phone.
Once the connection to the fake tower has been established, the attacker can begin collecting information such as:
- IMSI number (the phone's unique identifier).
- Call metadata: who called us, when, how long we talked...
- Content of SMS messages.
- Precise location of the device (obtained through signal triangulation).
Stingrays were originally designed by military and law enforcement agencies to track criminals, but are now used by law enforcement agencies to commit cybercrime.
What can happen if your phone falls victim to this attack?
It depends on whether it is a passive or active interception. In the passive, the data we have mentioned before are collected. In the active, what's worse, the attacker can intercept and redirect your calls or messages, and can even alter their content.
Some sophisticated Stingray models can cause phones to lower their security level so they can actively listen to everything spoken near the affected devices.
How can I tell if I've been a victim of a Stingray attack?
One of the unique features of this form of espionage and data collection is that it is so discreet that victims often don't realize what's happening.
But don't think it's infallible, there are a number of signs that can alert us that something is wrong:
- The mobile suddenly changes network from 4G/5G to 2G. This standard is more vulnerable and is the one that Stingrays usually use.
- The quality of calls and/or connections suddenly drops.
- The phone overheats or drains the battery very quickly. This happens because it makes multiple connection attempts.
- Strange network behavior: crashes, unexpected disconnections, etc.
How to defend against a Stingray attack?
We may not be able to completely prevent this type of interference, but we can protect ourselves to reduce the risk of becoming victims of cybercriminals.
End-to-end encryption
The famous end-to-end encryption used by apps like WhatsApp and Telegram is one of the best ways to protect communications. Even if the Stingray intercepts the connection, will not be able to decrypt the messages sent.
Therefore, we recommend that you only use applications that use this encryption system for your messages.
Disable 2G networks
Check if your phone has this option. Go to: Settings > Mobile Network > Preferred Network TypeFrom there, disable 2G so your phone can't automatically switch to more vulnerable networks.
Use a VPN
It won't keep you safe from intercepting calls or SMS messages, but it will will protect your internet browsing.
Turn off your phone in sensitive areas
The Stingray attack is indiscriminate. It doesn't target users, but rather attempts to target many victims at once. Precisely for this reason, there's a greater risk of such a device being used in crowded areas.
If you're going to a concert, a demonstration, or an important meeting, it's best to turn off your cell phone or at least put it in airplane mode. cuts off any communication channels and keeps you safe.
Use detectors
It's not about obsessing over this issue, but if you want greater protection you can use devices and solutions such as SnoopSnitch (on rooted Android) or Crocodile Hunter.
What these tools do is analyze the behavior of nearby towers to detect possible anomalies.
Use operating systems with advanced security
It has been confirmed that Android 16 It will offer greater protection against these types of attacks. It will feature a warning system that will notify the user when their phone connects to a mobile network that is considered unsecured or suspicious. For example, unencrypted networks or those that request device identifiers such as the IMSI or IMEI to establish a connection.
There are also other operating systems that offer greater control over network connections and permissions. This is the case with Graphene OS, which is based on Android.
Now that you know what a Stingray attack is, you'll probably be suspicious if you notice something strange happening with your phone's connection. If this happens, turn it off or put it in airplane mode and don't reconnect it until you're a certain distance from the area where it happened. We live in a hyperconnected world where digital threats are present in our daily lives, and it's important that we know how to protect ourselves.