Code breakers crack GSM cellphone encryption

[John Doe Number Two]

It's nice to see someone 'discovering' what Lucky Green already figured-out
years ago.  I wonder if they'll cut him a check.

-JD, II

Also sprach R. A. Hettinga aka rah at shipwright.com on 07.9.03 14:32 :

> <http://www.israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enPage=BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWha
> t=object&enDispWho=Articles%5El496&enZone=Technology&enVersion=0&>
> 
> 
> Israel21c
> 
> Code breakers crack GSM cellphone encryption
> By ISRAEL21c staffšššSeptember 07, 2003
> 
> 
> 
> The faults discovered in the 850 million cellphones could be used by
> thieves or eavesdroppers to listen in on calls, steal calls and even to
> impersonate phone owners.
> 
> 
> Company develops unbreakable data encryption code
> 
> š
> 
> Israeli counter-terrorism experts teams up with U.S. cyber-security firm
> 
> š
> 
> 
> Technion
> 
> š
> š
> 
> Experts at the Technion in Haifa who specialize in cryptography have
> discovered that mobile phone calls made on the popular GSM network are
> vulnerable to break-ins.  The faults discovered in the 850 million
> cellphones could be used by thieves or eavesdroppers to listen in on calls,
> steal calls and even to impersonate phone owners.
> 
> The team of researchers in Haifa, including Professor Eli Biham and
> doctoral students Elad Barkan and Natan Keller, presented their findings at
> the Crypto 2003 conference held two weeks ago at the University of
> California, Santa Barbara.
> 
> The 450 participants, many of whom are leaders in encryption research,
> 'were shocked and astounded' by their revelation that most cellphones are
> susceptible to misuse.  'They were very interested in our work and
> congratulatory,' Biham said.
> 
> If the cellphone companies in 197 countries want to correct the code errors
> that expose them to trickery and abuse, they will have to call in each
> customer to make a change in the cellphone's programming, or replace all of
> the cellular phones used by their subscribers.
> 
> Biham,  Barkan, and Keller's discovery involved a basic flaw in the
> encryption system of the GSM (global system for mobile communications)
> network, which is used by 71 percent of all cellphones.
> 
> "Elad discovered a serious flaw in the network's security system,"
> explained Biham. "He found that the GSM network does not work in the proper
> order: First, it inflates the information passing through it in order to
> correct for interference and noise and only then encrypts it."
> 
> At first,"I told him (Barkan) that it was impossible," Biham told Reuters---------------------------------------------------------------------
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