IceStation : getting our noses deep into Iceland's cellular infrastructure!

Abstract

The world is growing ever more reliant on mobile technology and the connectivity of mobile networks. The security of these networks is a growing concern and disrupting the flow of communication can be catastrophic to our society. With the introduction of SDRs, and the accompanying code required to run one’s own mobile network being made open source has made it more accessible for malicious actors to use these tools for their own benefit. Here we explore the potential threats that these malicious networks pose, specifically regarding Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) networks. We create our own base stations using two SDRs and open source software, allowing us to emulate both the LTE and GSM networks. With the setup we attempt two attacks, a downgrade attack and a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. We discuss how a malicious actor can cause chaos through the use of such attacks and how these malicious networks can affect society. In addition we discuss the barrier to entry and the prerequisites which can be helpful when creating such a network.