SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
In a letter to Senator Ron Wyden, the Department of Homeland Security has acknowledged that unknown users are operating IMSI catchers in Washington, D.C.:
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is acknowledging for the first time that foreign actors or criminals are using eavesdropping devices to track cellphone activity in Washington, D.C., according to a letter obtained by The Hill.
DHS in a letter to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) last Monday said they came across unauthorized cell-site simulators in the Washington, D.C., area last year. Such devices, also known as "stingrays," can track a user's location data through their mobile phones and can intercept cellphone calls and messages.
[...] DHS official Christopher Krebs, the top official leading the NPPD, added in a separate letter accompanying his response that such use "of IMSI catchers by malicious actors to track and monitor cellular users is unlawful and threatens the security of communications, resulting in safety, economic and privacy risks."
DHS said they have not determined the users behind such eavesdropping devices, nor the type of devices being used. The agency also did not elaborate on how many devices it unearthed, nor where authorities located them.
Also at Ars Technica and CNN.
Related: Police: Stingray Device Intercepts Mobile Phones
ACLU Reveals Greater Extent of FBI and Law Enforcement "Stingray" Use
US IRS Bought Stingray, Stingray II, and Hailstorm IMSI-Catchers
EFF Launches the Cell-Site Simulator Section of Street Level Surveillance
NYPD Making Heavy Use of Stingrays
New York Lawmakers Want Local Cops to Get Warrant Before Using Stingray
New Jersey State Police Spent $850,000 on Harris Corp. Stingray Devices
(Score: 2) by Spook brat on Wednesday April 04 2018, @05:06PM
The U.S. Military measures the time between a rogue battlefield radio beginning transmissions and artillery landing on the antenna in seconds; the difference between what you did and what they do is one of resources. Start with a bunch of receivers instead of just one, network them together with a bunch of computing power to back them up, and the solution becomes almost instantaneous. I'm pretty sure the only thing keeping the US .gov from leveraging that expertise for this problem is the Posse Comitatus Act; politicians don't like the idea of soldiers patrolling the streets of the Capitol.
Of course, that just keeps the Army from turning DC into an overt SIGINT battlespace; the CIA could probably borrow some NSA toys and do it on the down-low without too much pushback. Maybe some hurt feelings from the FBI over having their jurisdiction stepped on, but that's never stopped Langley before.
Travel the galaxy! Meet fascinating life forms... And kill them [schlockmercenary.com]