- Android 16 will include alerts for false cell towers and suspicious networks
- Update the ‘stingray’ devices that are perched as cell towers
- The function that probably arrives with devices that will be launched on Android 16
Not all mobile networks are what it seems. If your smartphone involuntarily connects a false cell tower, you could expose your private data to the interception. Fortunately, Google is doing something about it: a new security feature in Android 16 is designed to detect suspicious connections and warn him if someone is trying to claim their calls and text messages.
The simulators of cell mastes, known as ‘Stingray’ devices, create a false signal (word game) that can deceive their mobile to reveal their location and communications. It is a complicated tactic that was previously undetectable for smartphone users. Until now, users have had a very limited set of tools to protect themselves.
To face the risk of silent espionage, Google has developed a warning system that detects these rebel networks and flags when a connection is not what it seems. It is expected to arrive with new Android 16 devices, it is a background feature with great implications for privacy.
No more false towers
Rays work imitating cell towers. When a smartphone connects to the false network, its operator can track the device and data harvest, including unique identifiers such as IMEI. You can also transfer the device to a less safe network to intercept calls and messages, all without any indication to the target user.
A type of IMSI receptor, it is known that the stripes are used by the agencies of application of the law. While sometimes they are justified in the name of national security, they also have the potential for misuse, particularly if they fall into disastrous actors.
Stingray devices generally use 2G to direct smartphones. Even if you are 4G or 5G, most phones can resort to 2G. This incorporated vulnerability can be exploited by stripes: when transmitting a strong 2G signal, they can deceive nearby devices to connect. Because 2G networks lack modern encryption standards and do not authentic torres, your phone cannot verify if they are real.
At this time, the best way to protect against Stingray attacks is to completely disable 2G network connectivity.
The Android 16 update adds another protection layer. According to the developer’s notes on the Android open source project, it presents warnings of ‘network notification’. Compatible phones may detect when a mobile network requests the identifiers of the device or tries to force it to an unbalanced connection. Both events will be marked to the end user.
The function can be configured in ‘Mobile Network Security’ in the configuration menu, together with the option of enabling 2G network protection. The problem is that no Android phone really has the necessary hardware to unlock the function, not even the best pixels phones. That is why the configuration is currently hidden.
As a result, it is likely that the first Android phones with the ability to detect false cell towers will be launched at the end of this year. There is a good possibility that he debuts at the Google Pixel 10, which could make it the safest smartphone in history.
