Beijing News Shell Finance News (Reporter promised) On May 25, Beijing News Shell Finance reporter interviewed experts from Beijing Mobile regarding the recent frequent "illegal SMS sniffing" cases.
Experts said that some users woke up in the morning and found that their mobile phones received a lot of verification codes and bank deduction text messages in the middle of the night, the online banking APP login account and password were tampered with, and their property was damaged. This situation is "illegal text message sniffing".
To guard against this new type of telecom network crime, citizens need to be vigilant in two situations.
Experts point out that "illegal SMS sniffing" is a new type of telecommunication cyber crime. Criminals use the means of "mobile network interference + SMS sniffing" to obtain the content of users' mobile phone text messages in real time, and then use major banks, websites, mobile payment apps, etc. The technical loopholes are used to carry out criminal activities such as information theft, fund theft and online fraud.
Most criminals choose to commit crimes in the early morning, and do not need to directly contact the owner of the machine throughout the process, so most victims cannot detect the theft of funds in time.
"There are two situations that need to be vigilant. First, it is found that the 4G/5G signal of the mobile phone has suddenly disappeared, and only the 2G network can be used. This may be because someone nearby is waiting for the opportunity to conduct 'illegal SMS sniffing'. At this time, the user can immediately shut down or set to enter airplane mode. , to prevent the verification code SMS from being hijacked (users can still use Wi-Fi communication in airplane mode)." The expert said, "Second, if you receive an abnormal verification code text message, you should immediately shut down or set to enter airplane mode, and freeze the relevant banks in time. Accounts and third-party payment accounts to prevent losses to the greatest extent." Experts also pointed out that turning off mobile phones before going to bed at night is also an effective way to prevent 'illegal SMS sniffing'.
It is understood that "illegal SMS sniffing", a new type of telecom network crime, emerged in early 2016, and its technological content, concealment and high harm quickly attracted the attention of Beijing Mobile.
The company concentrates the backbone of scientific research to carry out research, and develops monitoring and positioning capabilities specifically for "illegal SMS sniffing", which provides technical support for source management.
Since 2018, Beijing Mobile has maintained close communication with the Beijing police, established a special linkage mechanism for the governance of "illegal text message sniffing", and cooperated with the police to crack a number of similar cases.