It seems like everyone is just out there to hound users’ privacy, no matter what resources or technologies they have to use.The same case has been detected and reported by CBC/Radio-Canada.
According to a month-long investigation conducted by the combined efforts of CBC/Radio-Canada, several cases of cellphone spying have been detected around the Parliamentary Hill area in Ottawa, the Capital of Canada.
CBC discovered that an unidentified source(s) used special tracking and spying devices, technically known as IMSI catchers or StingRays, to victimize the cellphones located in about half a kilometer radius around the Parliamentary Hill.
As the name suggests, IMSI catchers track, locate and store victims’IMSI information.IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) is a fifteen-digit number unique to every cellphone, and it is associated with UMTS and GSM networks.
Basically, the IMSI catcher tracks and stores the unique IMSI number of a victim’s cellphones by imitating as a nearby cellphone tower that the cellphone uses to connect to the grid.
Once the fish is on the net, the spy using the IMSI catcher can not only track the phone or the user’s location, but the spy can eavesdrop on the conversations and the text messages as well.
Spying on Cellphones in Ottawa – CBC/Radio-Canada Investigation
The renowned news outlet geared the investigative journalists with high-end encryption devices known as CryptoPhones made by a leading cellular communication security company, GSMK.
CryptoPhones can easily identify IMSI catchers by mimicking as a regular cellphone and fire up an alert the moment it detects a fake cellphone tower intercepting its signals.
CBC investigative journalists found that the device sent alerts during the tests conducted in December to January originating from areas around the Parliamentary Hill including Rideau Centre and Byward Market.
To double check and ensure the presence of these spying devices in the area surrounding the Parliamentary Hill, CBC reportedly used a more advanced tool, Overwatch Sensor.
The Culprit behind the Spying on Cellphones in Ottawa
The hunt for the real culprit or culprits behind the incident is still on. However, according to an anonymous source interviewed by CBC, the culprit can either be from a foreign soil or a domestically bred one.
Talking about foreign spying, an anonymous source has claimed Russian influence behind the covert operation in the Parliamentary Hill area. However, the claim was negated by the Russian embassy as their spokesperson stated, "Any suggestions as to that kind of activities are bogus and baseless."
Apart from foreign interferences, domestic agencies could also be the ones using the IMSI catcher devices for national defense and security purposes. However, all the domestic agencies like CSIS, CSE, RCMP and even Ottawa Police Service have refuted the claims.
RCMP, however, admitted later that the agency uses advanced cellphone data trackers for criminal investigations. But the agency also claimed that it has nothing to do with the cellphone spying incidents in the Parliamentary Hill area.
While talking to the CBC, Ralph Goodale, Public Safety Minister, said in a statement, “The activity that was reported last evening does not, I repeat, does not involve a Canadian agency like the RCMP or CSIS.”
New Revelations
A few days after the incident was reported by the CBC, a Radio-Canada reporter came forward with a shocking revelation related to the IMSI Catcher.
The reporter claimed that while he was waiting for a US-bound flight, he detected an IMSI catcher’s presence at Montreal's Trudeau International Airport on February 21.
The investigations related to the spying on cellphones in Ottawa and at Montreal's Trudeau International Airport are still in progress.
You can read more about the report here.
PureVPN
November 24, 2022
1 year ago
