SMS spoofing
Date: August 19, 2004Source: Computer Crime Research Center
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How long has it existed?
This kind of high tech felony exists for a relatively short time. It is a "new lingo in cybercrime". But it might have a horrifying future.
How is the spoofing carried out? What does an individual need?
SMS spoofing became possible after many mobile/cellular operators had integrated their network communications with/in the Internet. So anybody could send SMS from the Internet using forms at the websites of mobile operators or even through e-mail. Unfortunately, I won't break you in telling that there's no perfect security, it is only defined by the level of sophisticated technical arms of malefactors. Thus the Internet forms, designed to send SMS, possibly may have some vulnerabilities in their codes., Using these vulnerabilities at websites, malefactors create a malicious code (trojan), usually a web-based software, or in some other way obtain access to the SMS-Internet tunnel.
Surprisingly, nowadays you can use legitimate SMS tools that are available on the market for spoofing. For instance, Clickatell, a provider of carrier-grade bulk SMS messaging solutions and applications that can be integrated and used immediately within a global environment developed various software allowing bulk and personalized SMS messaging to existing databases, SMS delivery using Lotus Domino and other integrated SMS solutions. Therefore any person can purchase or even download evaluation copy to commit this kind of crime. Internet sites rendering SMS sending services provide these programs. Collection of phone numbers of subscribers is the main task of these sites. They are quickly entered in the base of phone numbers, these numbers are often used by spammers. Cellular companies with all their gateways and firewalls appear aside of this process being confident in their security.
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