GSM Phones Reportedly Vulnerable to Serious Security Threat [Researcher Says Malicious Hackers Could Easily Control GSM Phones Remotely to Make Them Send Texts & Make Calls]

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The Carrier IQ smartphone scandal is not yet over and now we hear that there may another security threat, this time affecting all GSM phones – that’s regular handsets too in addition to smartphones.

Karsten Nohl, head of Security Research Labs, a German company, revealed to Reuters that any GSM handset can be controlled remotely by hackers. They could use the device to place calls and send texts to various “expensive, premium phone and messaging services” without the phone’s owner suspecting anything.

Nohl has not detailed what the GSM vulnerability is, ahead of the hacking convention scheduled to take place on Tuesday in Berlin. But he did suggest that it can be easily done by anyone that has knowledge of the security breach:

“We can do it to hundreds of thousands of phones in a short timeframe.”

Since about 80% of worldwide wireless carriers use GSM networks, hackers that would be aware of this security flaw could replicate it and attack lots of unsuspecting cellphone users. What’s also very interesting to note is that the security issue can’t be discovered by phone owners, at least not until they see the surcharges on their monthly bills for the texts or calls placed remotely by hackers.

While such hackers can target all GSM carriers, Nohl says that mobile operators can improve the security of their networks by updating their software. T-Mobile and SFR, in Germany and France, respectively, have been found to offer the best protection against “online criminals wanting to intercept their calls or track their movements,” according to a new ranking that will be presented tomorrow.

We’re yet to hear how GSM carriers will choose to handle this security threat, and we’re even more interested to see whether any GSM customers have been affected by the kind of issues presented by Nohl. Did your monthly bill include charges for certain phone calls and text messages you don’t remember making or sending, respectively? Let us know in the comments section below!

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