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Friday, August 24, 2012

Apple iPhone SMS text spoofing: whose fault is it?

Mark Bridge writes:

Last week, French iOS security researcher pod2g revealed a potential security risk with the Apple iPhone’s handling of SMS text messages.

All text messages can be sent with an optional ‘reply to’ telephone number that’s different from the sender’s number. It’s not a standard option with most mobile phones and is most likely to be used by SMS gateways sending large volumes of promotional or service messages.

The majority of text messages don’t use this feature - and many phones either ignore the extra data or display both numbers - but Apple’s iOS seems to handle it in a potentially risky way. Customers with an iPhone are shown SMS messages that appear to have been sent from the ‘reply to’ number... which isn’t necessarily the actual sender.

Apple responded to tech news site Engadget with a recommendation to use its own Apple-only iMessage service instead. “When using iMessage instead of SMS, addresses are verified which protects against these kinds of spoofing attacks. One of the limitations of SMS is that it allows messages to be sent with spoofed addresses to any phone, so we urge customers to be extremely careful if they’re directed to an unknown website or address over SMS.”

However, mobile security company AdaptiveMobile says blame should be directed at Apple, not at mobile network operators.

Cathal McDaid, a security consultant at AdaptiveMobile, said “Device manufacturers, like all members of the mobile ecosystem should aim to take security seriously and ensure their devices comply with a wide range of standards and technical recommendations. For SMS to remain a trusted, clean channel, companies need to be vigilant that their products both properly conform to standards and don’t inadvertently expose flaws that can compromise their customers.”

“We know conclusively that this is not a network problem because the 3GPP specification - which outlines how modern mobile phones and networks operate today - discusses the security implications of this field in all phones and give recommendations on how to avoid malicious use of this. We have tested this issue on Android, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry and Symbian phones and most of them simply ignore the ‘reply address’ field or display both the ‘real’ originating address and the reply address as per the specification recommendations. The iPhone, so far, is the only device which does not comply with these security recommendations.”

The iPhone’s SMS handling could be used in a number of malicious ways. Criminals could send a message that appears to come from the customer’s bank or credit card company, inviting the users to reply with personal information or submit security information via a fraudulent web site. Alternatively, a spoof message could be used for social engineering to manipulate a customer’s behaviour - perhaps appearing to be from a trusted friend or a colleague.

It’s certainly not inappropriate to highlight Apple’s handling of SMS messages - but it’s also important to realise that spoofed SMS messages could affect other devices as well. Spam email messages often appear to be from legitimate addresses, requiring a combination of common sense and filtering software to determine whether or not they’re genuine. How long before SMS filtering becomes as much of a necessity... or will network operators and handset manufacturers solve the problem first?

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Opinion Articles

Last week at The Fonecast: 8th July 2013

Not all good news...

Mark Bridge writes:

The UK is beginning its week with news of a long-awaited sporting victory for Andy Murray. The telecoms world had its own much-anticipated good news last week, when European roaming rates fell again. And regardless of Neelie Kroes’ plans to abolish roaming rates completely, there’ll definitely be another roaming cut in 2014.

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The hidden benefits of 4G

Dan Grose of Phones 4u writes:

It’s been nearly 10 months since EE launched the UK’s first 4G network and an estimated 55% of the country is now enjoying its benefits. The fourth generation of mobile networks has brought speeds of between 10-12 megabytes per second to thousands of areas across Britain, creating somewhat of a revolution in super-fast mobile browsing.

Author: The Fonecast
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Nokia’s £13 phone still makes money for the company

Mark Bridge writes:

The UK mobile phone industry knows all about subsidised prices. Independent mobile dealers and high-street shops will happily offer a ‘free phone with free connection’ in order to tie a customer into a minimum-term contract.

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Easily upgrade your Android and iPhone app to access physical objects

Andrea Gerber of baimos technologies writes:

Mobile devices are becoming ever more prevalent in our daily lives and so it comes as no surprise that they are now being utilized in security-relevant scenarios such as car-sharing and shared parking. Mobility solutions such as these increasingly rely on smartphone applications, hence technologies arise that allow the smartphone to morph into a digital key.

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Last week at The Fonecast: 1st July 2013

Good news from Sony Mobile, bad news from BlackBerry

Mark Bridge writes:

I don’t know about you but I’m delighted to see Sony Mobile getting plenty of coverage for its new smart watch and giant smartphone. The company’s impressive presence at Mobile World Congress 2013 showed plenty of promise... and I’d say it’s now delivering.

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