Electronic Frontier Foundation investigates potential use of cell-site simulators in US

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has determined that a mobile phone surveillance system was likely used during the Democratic National Convention in the US last summer. 

This conclusion comes from Cooper Quintin, a senior technologist at EFF, who investigated the possible deployment of police technologies during the event, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media. 

EFF, in collaboration with Wired, analyzed wireless signal data and uncovered signs that a cell-site simulator might have been used to monitor devices. Cell-site simulators, a controversial law enforcement tool, capture wireless signals from the air for later analysis. They perform Man-in-the-Middle attacks by posing as cell towers, tricking mobile devices into sending their signals to them.

These attacks can expose sensitive personal information such as location data, call metadata, and app usage, providing a valuable insight into mobile activity. One widely used brand of cell-site simulators is the Stingray. Last summer, Wired reporters attended the DNC and used phones with specialized software developed by the EFF. This software was designed to detect data anomalies linked to mobile devices. 

WIRED attended protests across the city, events at the United Center (where the DNC took place), and social gatherings with lobbyists, political figures, and influencers. They spent time walking the perimeter along march routes and through planned protest sites before, during, and after these events. During this time, they captured Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular signals, which were then analyzed for specific hardware identifiers and other suspicious signs that might indicate the presence of a cell-site simulator. 

After reviewing the data, Quinton told WIRED that it seemed to show evidence of a cell-site simulator being used in the area during the convention. WIRED reported that one of the devices the reporters carried “abruptly switched to a new tower.” 

The convention took place amid ongoing protests against the Biden administration’s support for the Israeli assault on Gaza. At the time, over 40,000 Palestinians had reportedly been killed, with the majority being women and children, according to a UN estimate. Thousands of protesters gathered outside the DNC in Chicago, and in some instances, protesters were arrested for breaching a barricade outside the convention center.

By Naila Huseynova