UK comms regulator Ofcom has closed a loophole that can allow fraudsters to manipulate mobile networks.
“Global Titles enable information to be exchanged within and between networks, so that mobile services work regardless of whether a user is in their home network or roaming,” says the GSMA. It goes on to explain that the practice of leasing these Global Titles gives third parties access to the global SS7 network, which in turn reduces routing transparency and creates security risks. It doesn’t explain why such a risky practice has been allowed.
Ofcom reckons it shouldn’t be and so has unveiled new rules that ban the leasing of Global Titles. “Criminals can use Global Titles to intercept and divert calls and messages, and get their hands on information held by mobile networks,” explains the Ofcom announcement. “This could, for example, enable them to intercept security codes sent by banks to a customer via SMS message. In extreme cases they can be exploited by criminals and other harmful actors to track the physical location of individuals anywhere in the world.”
