Despite being a controversial tool due to its use in mobile phone surveillance, the demand for IMSI catcher is notoriously high. Even people would be able to see IMSI catcher price variations which indicate that there is a demand for the product and suppliers are competing.
Introduction to the Device
The IMSI catcher works to intercept mobile phone traffic. In order to operate, mobile phones will need to exchange data with the service provider’s tower. However, when a user activates this tool, disruption to that connection occurs. It intercepts the data exchange progress.
What can an IMSI catcher do? There are several tasks that the tool’s user would be able to perform with it:
Identifying phone numbers within a certain area.
Disrupting any form of communication that does not utilize the end-to-end encryption, such as phone calls and text messages.
Determining the approximate locations of mobile phone users within a specific area.
Creating calls and text messages to be sent to the target phone numbers.
The tool operates by pretending to be a tower from the mobile phone’s service provider. Thus, instead of connecting with a real tower, the phone will form a connection with the catcher instead. At this time, when the connection has been established, the catcher can perform its tasks.
To be able to work, a user needs to place this device strategically. It has to be at a certain proximity with the target phones to intercept its connection with the service provider tower. This is a form of tactical interception and the tool is likely to be portable.
The Limitation of IMSI Catcher
There is no intercepting tool that is free from limitation, this tool included. It is not only about the IMSI catcher price, but also about its functionalities. The following points might be able to shed a light about its limitation:
1. User Needs to be Near the Targets
When using this tool, the user must be near the targets. Therefore, information about the targets is required beforehand. Being near to the target also poses some safety risks to the tool operators, especially when the situation is chaotic.
2. The Tool Works on Specific Band
Many people wonder: Do IMSI catcher work on 4G? LTE has a more secure data exchange process. However, usually the catcher will attempt to dumb down the mobile phone’s protocol into 2G as it is easier to tamper data exchange in 2G connection.
3. Unable to Detect Messages in Certain Platforms
Platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram are using end-to-end encryption. The catcher is not able to detect messages delivered this way. Thus, many people are avoiding the more traditional communication mode and choose to utilize
4. Privacy Concerns
Are IMSI catcher legal? In certain countries, such as Germany, its usage is heavily regulated by the government. Only people with authorization such as police and intelligence bodies can use this tool in a legal manner.
However, this use also faces adamant refusal from the citizens. People say that it is an invasion of their privacy. It is also because the authorities often utilize this tool to prevent protests from happening. Those from democratic society tend to refuse it.
5. People Cannot Do Comprehensive Data Mining
In some public security cases, the authorities need to secure the target phone user’s data. However, the catcher cannot perform this task as it only works to intercept connection with the service provider. Thus, data mining must be done in other ways.
6. Costly
The cost of operating the catcher is quite high. IMSI catcher price is really high in the market, on top of the difficulty to obtain a permit to buy it legally. Moreover, there is also a high fee for the active operator running the tool on-site.
Purchasing an IMSI Catcher
How much does an IMSI catcher cost? The IMSI catcher price ranges from $70,000 to $200,000. A more expensive catcher set would be able to perform more complicated tasks, such as active interception and connection with 3G or 4G bands.
Despite that, there are some sellers who distribute IMSI catcher-like tools on popular marketplaces like Amazon. Of course, the IMSI catcher price tag for those products would be significantly lower. Nonetheless, the tasks that it can perform are also limited.
Closing
The catcher (that people also term Stingray) is useful for various tactical ploys. Despite the controversy of its usage, it seems like authorities would not be leaving the tool behind in the near future.