GSM Security Features, Threats & Solutions

GSM Features:

·         Calls forwarding

·         Encrypted conservations

·         Ensuring rapid call set-up

·         Short Message Service (SMS) Ability

·         Multi calling to few different parties

·         Closed User Group

·         Dynamic connections

·         Place a call on Hold

·         Allows data and fax transmission and reception across GSM networks

·         Calls notification

·         Barring of incoming and outgoing calls

·         CLIP Allows you to see the telephone number of the incoming caller on the LCD screen of the handset

·         CLIR allows you to bar anyone from seeing your number via CLIP

GSM Threats:

·         Man-in-the-middle attack

·         Flaws in implementation of A3/A8 algorithms

·         SIM card cloning

·         Over-the-air cracking

·         Flaws in cryptographic algorithms

·         Short range of protection

·         Lack of user visibility

·         Leaking the user anonymity

·         Vulnerability to the DoS attack

·         Absence of integrity protection

·         Vulnerability to replay attacks

·         Increased redundancy due to the coding preference

GSM Solutions:

·         Using secure algorithms for A3/A8 implementations

·         Using secure ciphering algorithms

·         Securing the backbone traffic

·         End-to-end Security

GPRS Features, Threats & Solutions

GPRS is a kind of technologies to improve 2G phones (second generation phones) to allow transferring of data at higher speeds, GPRS allows mobile phones to remain connected to network and transfer requested or sent data instantly.

GPRS Features:

·         Multimedia applications

·         High speed connection

·         Always immediate connection

·         Internet connectivity from mobile phone

GPRS Threats:

·         Denial Of Service (DOS) attack

·         Integrity and Confidentiality

o   Capturing a subscriber’s data session

·         Authentication and Authorization

o   Spoofed create PDP request

o   Spoofed update PDP request

·         Availability

o   Border gateway bandwidth saturation

o   DNS flood

o   GTP flood

o   MS flood

o   DNS cache poisoning

o   Bad BGR routing information

o   Spoofed GTP PDP context delete 

GPRS Solutions:

•        GTP Traffic

•        Stateful packet inspection

•        Ingress and egress packet

•        Ingress and egress packet filtering

•        Stateful GTP packet filtering

•        Implement IPSec tunnels with roaming partners

•        Logical tunnels from the GGSN to corporate networks