LTE Security, Second Edition

Foreword to the First Edition

The early to mid-1980s saw the commercial opening across Europe of public-access mobile communications systems. These cellular systems all used analogue technology, but outside of the Nordic countries no attempt was made to standardize the systems—so the technology adopted differed from country to country. Unfortunately, one thing they did have in common was a total absence of adequate security features, which made them open to abuse by criminals, journalists and all manner of opportunists. Users' calls could be eavesdropped on the air using readily available and comparatively inexpensive interception devices, and there were celebrated cases of journalistic invasion of privacy. A well-known example was the ‘squidgy’ tapes, where mobile telephone calls between members of the British royal family were recorded. Mobile telephone operators and their customers became very concerned.

The operators also had another problem with serious financial consequences. When a mobile phone attempted to connect to a network, the only check made on authenticity was to see that the telephone number and the phone's identity correctly corresponded. These numbers could be intercepted on the air and programmed to new phones creating clones of the original. Clones were used by criminals to run up huge charges for calls which had nothing to do with the legitimate owner. Cloning became very widespread, with criminals placing their ‘cloning’ equipment in cars parked at airports ...