6 ms·

If we had a crowd-sourced database of cell towers (picture & coordinates) wouldn't it then be straightforward to know (and report) when your phone wasn't connec

• sb057 7y ago
  People are way ahead of you: https://cellularprivacy.github.io/Android-IMSI-Catcher-Detector/ https://cellularprivacy.github.io/Android-IMSI-Catcher-Detec...
  • mindgam3 7y ago
    Not sure if those apps works as well as advertised. https://www.zdnet.com/article/stingray-detector-apps-andorid-basically-useless-research/ https://www.zdnet.com/article/stingray-detector-apps-andorid... Edit: fully removing amp from link
    • rahuldottech 7y ago
      Non-AMP link: https://www.zdnet.com/article/stingray-detector-apps-andorid-basically-useless-research/ https://www.zdnet.com/article/stingray-detector-apps-andorid...
      • mindgam3 7y ago
        Fixed, thanks.
  • btcbanking 7y ago
    The f-droid link on that page brings a 404
• nerdponx 7y ago
  Considering all the stuff that's open public information, it's a bit surprising that cell tower locations aren't.
  • tracker1 7y ago
    It's kind of sensitive information with regards to communications infrastructure. Not too dissimilar from various details of sensitive sites not being disclosed to reduce the risk of a coordinated attack. Not saying it's effective, but I can understand the reasoning.
    • microcolonel 7y ago
      Regarding effectiveness, localizing an access point is trivial, so it's a matter of motivation.
    • toomuchtodo 7y ago
      Tower data is public record. Here’s a search aggregator: http://www.antennasearch.com http://www.antennasearch.com The issue is that the baseband should be handshaking cryptographically with your provider’s towers to prevent MITM attempts, and no downgrade should be possible. Between eSIM and 5G, honestly surprised it’s not a standard yet.
      • cartoonworld 7y ago
        Antennasearch is a good resource, and somehow the database update functions still work, but it appears unmaintained, somewhat janky, and the copyright notice reads 2004-2009. I resent the popup windows and the google maps integration is broken. Luckily, there are several community efforts to map the cell coverage. Check out https://opencellid.org/ https://opencellid.org/ which is an open source WiGLE-esque cell location collection. You can contribute with the TowerCollector[1] android app (also on fdroid). Mozilla also operates Mozilla Location Services[2] as an API for developers. People can contribute location anonymized data to Mozilla by a settings menu checkbox, or using their special app. WiGLE[3] of course includes cell tower detection in their wireless geographic logging suite. [0] https://opencellid.org/ https://opencellid.org/ [1] https://github.com/zamojski/TowerCollector/ https://github.com/zamojski/TowerCollector/ [2] https://location.services.mozilla.com/ https://location.services.mozilla.com/ [3] https://www.wigle.net/ https://www.wigle.net/
• rolph 7y ago
  check this out http://www.cellreception.com/towers/ http://www.cellreception.com/towers/
• bluGill 7y ago
  No, because the cell carriers have "tower in a box" kits that they make available to various people. These are real towers, but they move often. If you go to a large event (something like burning man, though I don't know if they do for that specific event) there is a good chance the carrier has scattered a few of these around the venue because the fixed location towers (often miles away) would be overwhelmed and nobody would be able to use their phones.
  • Fenrisulfr 7y ago
    Agreed - there are companies that specialize in ad-hoc towers to provide service. Example: Mobilitie in Chicago. Very important piece of mobile data infrastructure, but a rogue tower is still a real security risk.
  • jdc 7y ago
    Mind you, it would be straightforward to use such a database to find out whether you're connected to a mobile or fixed cell station.