Because blasters operate outside of traditional mobile networks, the messages they send are not subject to security measures already taken by the mobile providers. “None of our security controls applies to messages your phone receives from them,” said Anton Reynaldo Bonifacio, chief information security officer and chief AI officer of Philippine communications company Globe Telecom. “Once the phone is connected to these fake unit websites, they can trick any sender ID or number to send a scam.”
Back in 2022, Globe Telecom decided to stop delivering SMS messages containing URLs, and Bonifacio said he believes Scammers use blasters to “bypass” these measures. “This technology used to be a more niche, but I think the sales and assembly of these IMSI capture devices have become more common for criminal organizations,” he said. Found SMS Exploders are open for sale online for thousands of dollars.
Samantha Kight, head of industry security at the mobile operator industry group GSMA, said that so far, the Asia-Pacific region has been most affected by SMS shock waves, but there are some situations in Western Europe and South America. “It could be a problem with one or two regions, but then we tend to see these things pop up in different regions,” Kight said. commsrisk and Adventure businesshighlighting reports on SMS blasters used in Thailand, Vietnam,,,,, Japan,,,,, New ZealandQatar, IndonesiaOman, Brazil, Hong Kong, etc. London law enforcement officers say they have caught it seven SMS blaster and in June, a student from China was sentenced prison Capturing with one of these devices has been over a year.
Kight said addressing SMS shock waves involves people who are aware of these devices, law enforcement agencies take action and recognize and report scam news to relevant authorities. “As the mobile industry, we want to be able to find them, we want people to believe in the content on their devices, and we want to be able to protect them,” Kight said.
Yomna Nasser, a software engineer for Android, says people can Stop the phone Connect to a 2G network in its settings. “Once enabled, your device will no longer scan or connect to a 2G cellular tower,” Nasser said. The only exception is that if you are making an emergency call, 3G, 4G and 5G are not available. Android Advanced protection mode 2G will also be automatically disabled on some newer phones. Apple did not answer Wired’s request for comment at the time of publication, although it Lock mode Will be disabled 2G connection.
Ultimately, you may not know whether to send you a scam using SMS Blaster. Ben Hurley, a detective sergeant in the City of London’s dedicated card and payment crime department, is investigating the case locally, and he said that while delivery is different, the actual scam itself has not changed. Phishing messages are often designed to enable you to click on malicious links and hand over your personal information. “It’s a new way to do the same,” Hurley said. “This changes the way we have to investigate, but it doesn’t actually change the end result.” He added that people should always be cautious about clicking on links in unknown messages and then spend a little time before taking action If the message feels suspicious.
However, like all cybercrime, it is possible for people who operate plans and blasters to develop their tactics. “The actual SMS blaster equipment they used so far is relatively inappropriate,” MC DAID said, adding that the initial types of technology came from the world of government, law enforcement and military. If criminals can gain more complex technology and expertise, he said: “This could be the beginning of a cat and mouse game.”
