December 31, 2009 by Jack Fox
A group of computer hackers led by German encryption expert, Karsten Nohl claimed this week to have cracked the secret code that keeps around eighty per cent of the world’s mobile phone conversations secret. The team then published the code online leaving upwards of three billion mobile phone users vulnerable to having their calls intercepted.
According to Nohl, the hack, that promises to force mobile phone companies into a costly security upgrade, was organised to demonstrate the weaknesses of security measures supposedly protecting the GSM (global system for mobile communication). Speaking at Chaos Communication Congress, a four day computer hacker’s conference, Nohl stated…
“We have given up hope that network operators will move to improve security on their own, but we are hoping that with this added attention, there will be increased demand from customers for them to do this,”
Nohl was also due to run a practical demonstration of the code in action, though he shelved that plan at the last minute, pending advice from his lawyers regarding whether or not it would actually be legal to do so.
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