Different Types of Phones are Cloned Differently

Cloning CDMA Mobile Phones

Cellular telephone thieves monitor the radio frequency spectrum and steal the cell phone pair as it is being anonymously registered with a cell site. The technology uses spread-spectrum techniques to share bands with multiple conversations.

Subscriber information is also encrypted and transmitted digitally. CDMA handsets are particularly vulnerable to cloning, according to experts. First generation mobile cellular networks allowed fraudsters to pull subscription data (such as ESN and MIN) from the analog air interface and use this data to clone phones.

A device called as DDI, Digital Data Interface (which comes in various formats from the more expensive stand-alone box, to a device which interfaces with your 800 MHz capable scanner and a PC) can be used to get pairs by simply making the device mobile and sitting in a busy traffic area (freeway overpass) and collect all the data you need.

The stolen ESN and EMIN were then fed into a new CDMA handset, whose existing program was erased with the help of downloaded software. The buyer then programs them into new phones which will have the same number as that of the original subscriber.

But Looking at the recent case, it is quite possible to clone both GSM and CDMA sets. The accused in the Delhi case used software called Patagonia to clone only CDMA phones (Reliance and Tata Indicom). However, there are software packages that can be used to clone even GSM phones (e.g. Airtel, BSNL, Hutch, Idea). In order to clone a GSM phone, knowledge of the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) or instrument number is sufficient.

Cloning GSM Mobile Phones

GSM handsets, on the contrary, are safer, according to experts. Every GSM phone has a 15 digit electronic serial number (referred to as the IMEI). It is not a particularly secret bit of information and you don’t need to take any care to keep it private.

The important information is the IMSI, which is stored on the removable SIM card that carries all your subscriber information, roaming database and so on. GSM employs a fairly sophisticated asymmetric-key cryptosystem for over-the-air transmission of subscriber information.

Cloning a SIM using information captured over-the-air is therefore difficult, though not impossible. As long as you don’t lose your SIM card, you’re safe with GSM. GSM carriers use the COMP128 authentication algorithm for the SIM, authentication center and network which make GSM a far secure technology.

GSM networks which are considered to be impregnable can also be hacked. The process is simple: a SIM card is inserted into a reader. After connecting it to the computer using data cables, the card details were transferred into the PC. Then, using freely available encryption software on the Net, the card details can be encrypted on to a blank smart card. The result: A cloned cell phone is ready for misuse.