Those *@#%* hackers are at it again. This time, two Israeli men say they have figured out a way to crack an algorithm used as part of the encryption method for Global System for Mobile communications technology, according to a New York Times article.
Sound familiar? Yes. In 1998, two graduate students at the University of California in Berkeley and a computer cryptologist were able to clone a GSM phone. And just to make sure no one feels left out, be rest assured that codes used to encrypt Time Division Multiple Access and Code Division Multiple Access systems also have been cracked.
The news this time is researchers found an efficient way to crack the codes, according to the Times article. Oh, except-by the way-it really isn’t that easy to do.
“For now, the new cracking method requires resources not available for most individuals. Before intercepting phone conversations, an eavesdropper must make one-time sophisticated computations that demand significant computer power … An eavesdropper also must have access to a digital scanner, which can intercept wireless calls within a radius of several miles. Such devices cost thousands of dollars and are illegal in the United States,” the article states.
It doesn’t sound very efficient to me. Isn’t it easier to learn trade secrets from the competition by buying a disgruntled employee one-too-many drinks at the local tavern?
Omnipoint’s Terry Phillips called the Times article sloppy journalism and said no one is eavesdropping on GSM conversations. (Go Terry!)
However, a graduate student at Berkeley insists this is a big deal, calling it within the reach of corporate espionage.
I’m not that familiar with corporate espionage. When I worked at a daily newspaper, a TV on-the-air guy would come buy our paper at 2 p.m. every day when it was hot off the presses (not a very covert operation, I’m afraid) and later read my stories over the air for the 6 o’clock news. Does that count?
Still, if corporate espionage exists and hackers are standing at every intersection waiting to overhear eavesdropped conversations, I can foresee a new marketing campaign.
Want to make sure your wireless call is safe from corporate espionage? Switch carriers-often. Switch technologies-often. Your enemies will be spinning in circles just trying to figure out your latest move!
