FAR FROM HOME - MOBILE SURVEILLANCE threat INTELLIGENCE
Far From Home is a series of ground-breaking mobile threat intelligence reports providing a comprehensive vision into foreign surveillance attacks and cyber espionage threat activity against US mobile phones. The reports expose 3 years of active surveillance operations targeting US mobile users, where years of mobile network exploitations have resulted into breaches of user privacy. The reports feature global rankings revealing the source countries and network operators originating the attacks. Featuring live attack traces, global attack heat maps and deep insights into operations from domestic and foreign networks, these reports are the culmination of independent expert investigations into attack data from state sponsors and organized crime entities using 3G and 4G networks.
Far From Home - threat intelligence report highlights
Foreign Surveillance Activity of US Mobile Users is Massive in Scale
Millions of attack transactions take place on a monthly basis. Massive volumes of threat activity have occurred for years and continues to this day.
Allies, Adversaries and Neutral Countries Participate in Espionage Attempts Targeting US Phones
Surveillance operations against US mobile users is not limited to traditional adversaries. Allied and neutral countries are also active participant sources where mobile networks are used to monitor US phone locations and communications.
Detecting Surveillance Activity is Easier Than Preventing It
Security firewalls provide detection and prevention of attacks. However, many network operators use conservative prevention approaches to reduce the risks of potentially disrupting international roaming service.
Attacks Take Place on Both 3G and 4G Networks
Mobile devices use 3G and 4G networks simultaneously. Threat actors exploit this technology to increase the success rates of attacks. In 2020, attackers are adapting to favor 4G attack vectors which poses greater risks to 5G networks.
Attacks are Coordinated Between Foreign Country Network Operators
Countries are observed attacking the same mobile users with similar attack methods. Attacks sources from multiple Caribbean countries were observed with indications of network selling for conducting intelligence operations.
The Lack of Security Mandates Increases Attacks From Developing Nations
Current security guidelines are not sufficient to hold networks accountable for these attacks. The lack of mandates encourages small nations to participate in the threat economy, effectively selling their network to adversaries.