Geolocation by phone number: how criminals track subscribers and attack companies

[Father]

Finding out a person's location today is easy. Just look at his social networks. Usually, people themselves are willing to share such information in posts or stories. But sometimes even the most secretive Internet users are under threat – attackers determine their location by phone number.

Why do criminals need to know where the subscriber is located? How can such information harm the company? Real cases and tips for protecting yourself from phone surveillance can be found in this article.

How criminals monitor subscribers​

There are many sites that promise to find the location of a person by phone number for free or for money. However, in fact, they do not do this at all. Usually, in a public offer, such sites indicate that they offer users not services, but a game.

Another thing is when intruders want to find a person by phone. They have a lot of tools in their arsenal. The most popular one is malicious software.

Stanislav Sidorov
CEO of Pro Control

One of the most common methods is still installing malicious software on the victim's device. This software can intercept location data and transmit it to hackers.

Another method is" spoofing " network signals, when an attacker connects to a device using vulnerabilities in the network. In some cases, hackers can also use social engineering to convince the victim to provide location information on their own.

Often, attackers can determine the geolocation of a subscriber using Wi-Fi tracking. They also benefit from vulnerabilities in apps, the operating system, and the Find Phone feature, which is available on any iOS or Android device.

Petr Kutsenko
Head of the Endpoint component of the R-Vision EVO ecosystem

If this feature is enabled for the subscriber, then attackers, having gained access to the victim's smartphone account, can easily determine its location.

In addition, even without geolocation, you can find out the conditional location of a person by using geotags that they share via social networks, as well as through various applications and services, for example, for food delivery.

A more complex method is to use the data of the mobile operator. As experts explain, the smartphone is constantly connected to neighboring base stations of the telecom operator. To ensure a seamless connection, they store data about the subscriber.

Ilya Karpuk
Director of Printeria Service Center

Using this data, you can use the formula to calculate the subscriber's location. And the more base stations around it (for example, in a city), the more accurate this calculation will be.

This method is called "triangulation", because usually three base stations are enough to determine the location. LTE networks can also transmit additional service information and significantly simplify subscriber search. Its location in the city can be determined conditionally within a radius of up to 2 m, and in open areas - from 50 m to 1 km.

However, such information, according to him, is inaccessible to "ordinary mortals". Here you need to be an employee of the operator with access to data, steal it or get it at the request of law enforcement agencies.

And finally, the most complex tool for tracking a subscriber is special equipment that intercepts control over the subscriber's device, makes it possible to listen to calls, read SMS messages, monitor traffic, etc.

When an organization suffers: cases and conclusions​

As experts explain, usually geolocation is needed by hackers to pursue the victim, steal or blackmail her. But there are cases when such information leads to serious attacks on companies or disclosure of their data. Even more – sometimes military facilities are under threat.

Sergey Polunin
Head of the Infrastructure IT Protection Group at Gazinformservis

My favorite case study on this topic is related to the Strava fitness app. In it, people mark the routes of their runs.

In 2017, the location of a secret US military base was revealed only because its inhabitants saved their runs in this application. Thanks to them, over time, a suspicious object appeared on the general map in the center of the desert, around which a large number of young people constantly run. This is a somewhat comical case, but it shows the main thing-people are more likely to tell about their geolocation themselves than some hackers will break into their phones.

Information about the subscriber's location can be particularly dangerous for the organization. For example, if the subscriber is a key employee, such as a CEO or system administrator. In this case, the user's location information can be used for physical intrusion into the company or social engineering.

So, according to Stanislav Sidorov, in 2012, cybercriminals used the location and other personal information about the head of Ubiquiti Networks for a successful phishing attack on the company. This resulted in a loss of $ 46.7 million.

Disclosing information about the location of subscribers can also negatively affect the company's reputation. And this is confirmed by the experience of world-famous brands.

Vladimir Krivov
Head of ROSTSITE Company

In 2016, Uber faced a problem when hackers gained access to users ' location information and tried to extort money in exchange for deleting this data. The company said that cybercriminals stole the data of 57 million drivers and customers of the company.

What is the threat to intruders who use geolocation by phone number? Depending on where it happens, experts say.

Alexander Andreev
Specialist of the scientific and educational center "Information Security" of MTUCI

The question of the legality of tracking a person's location by their phone number depends on the legislation in a particular jurisdiction. Some countries have laws that regulate the collection, storage, and use of subscriber location information, and require the subject's consent to such surveillance. In other cases, in particular when applied in law enforcement, exceptions may be provided.

In Russia, as in many other countries, you can track a person's location by using their phone number. But only if there is consent or if there are other legal grounds. This is indicated by 152-FZ "On Personal data".

In addition, as Ilya Karpuk recalls, the Constitution has a clarification: "every citizen of the Russian Federation has the right to inviolability of private life." In this context, the use of data, including geolocation, without the owner's consent is punishable by Article 137 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

How to avoid tracking by phone number​

In order to avoid becoming a victim of cybercriminals, experts recommend following several rules. Often, these recommendations help protect yourself and your company from unpleasant consequences.

Sergey Belov
Head of the Banking Systems Security Research Group, Positive Technologies

To reduce the risk of third parties tracking you on your mobile device, you can disable the geolocation feature when you don't need it. For example, when using social networks or instant messengers. It is better to allow only trusted apps to access your geolocation.

It is also better to set up two-factor authentication for your accounts (including your mobile operator's personal account) to protect them from unauthorized access.

To prevent hackers from tracking your location by phone number, experts also advise:

• DON't share your phone number with strangers or publish it in open sources;
• DON'T open suspicious links or install apps from untrusted sources;
• DON'T leave your phone unattended or give it to other people unnecessarily;
• DO NOT install hacked apps or apps from untrusted sources. Also, always check what permissions they need.;
• use your password or fingerprint to access your phone;
• contact information security specialists immediately if you notice suspicious activity on your device;
• update your smartphone's software more frequently – regular updates often include fixes for vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers;
• use antivirus software;
• be careful with public Wi-Fi networks – they may be vulnerable to attacks, so it's better to use encrypted connections or VPNs.

Of course, these recommendations will not help if serious hacker groups are involved. However, it will still be more difficult for them to achieve their goal. And there is a chance that the actions of criminals will be discovered before they have time to harm you or the organization.

Conclusions​

It is difficult to protect yourself from 100% surveillance. If you have a gadget in your pocket – even unrealistic. But experts advise against getting paranoid. Cybercriminals do not have enough resources to deal with each subscriber and track their location by phone number.

Another situation is if you are of particular value to hackers and they are willing to track your movements. In this case, you will definitely have to protect yourself and your smartphone. And even better – consult with information security specialists.