Security News > 2020 > February > New LTE Network Flaw Could Let Attackers Impersonate 4G Mobile Users

The impersonation attack - named "IMPersonation Attacks in 4G NeTworks" - exploits the mutual authentication method used by the mobile phone and the network's base station to verify their respective identities to manipulate data packets in transit.

The man-in-the-middle attack allows a hacker to impersonate a user towards the network and vice versa.

It's to be noted that the adversary must be in close proximity - in the range of 2km - to the victim's mobile phone to mount the IMP4GT attack.

As a consequence, these attacks are no different from those that involve cell-site simulators such as IMSI catchers that are used by law enforcement agencies to intercept mobile phone traffic.

What's the solution? The disclosure of the IMP4GT attack comes on the heels of similar research undertaken by academics at Purdue University and the University of Iowa, which uncovered three new security flaws in 4G and 5G networks that can be used to eavesdrop on phone calls and track the locations of cell phone users.

News URL

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