Hackers crack femtocells to pwn then clone phones
Security researchers have warned against the industry's use of femtocells after successfully hacking into two popular models of femtocell, allowing them to intercept voice and SMS information from nearby mobile devices.
The exploit was detailed by iSEC Partners at the Black Hat conference in Vegas after being revealed earlier in July, and affects two femtocells used by Verizon and one repackaged Verizon box put out by Sprint which have already been remotely patched.
Femtocells are used to extend the range of broadcast signals in hard to reach places, and work by creating a secure IP-SEC tunnel between themselves and their carriers larger network. If signal is lacking or poor, then phones will automatically hop onto a nearby femtocell. The researchers believe it is the first time an exploit has been disclosed against femtocells produced by US carriers. The exploit has been verified to work on 2009 SCS-26UC4 and a 2010 SCS-2U01 femtocell from Verizon.
