There’s a hidden Android setting that spots fake cell towers

Source Domain: www.howtogeek.com

Most people never give a second thought to how their phone connects to a cell tower. It’s something that constantly happens in the background without our input, and therein lies the potential for trouble. What if that tower isn’t what it seems? Android can tell you about it—maybe.

How “Stingrays” hijack your connection

They’re ingenious in all the wrong ways

Credit: Justin Duino / How-To Geek

Let’s get the scary stuff out of the way first. “Stingrays,” technically known as IMSI (international mobile subscriber identity) catchers, are devices primarily used for surveillance. They mimic cell towers and act as a middleman between your phone and the network. Once your device is tricked into connecting to what it believes to be a real cell tower, the attacker can harvest device information and force your phone onto an older, unencrypted protocol.

This is what allows them to listen to your calls or read your texts without you ever knowing something is wrong. It’s also possible for the attacker to harvest information from the phones of people nearby when this happens. While Stingrays have been used by law enforcement agencies for years to track suspects, it’s now much easier for malicious individuals to get their hands on them and skim data from innocent people.

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