Law Enforcement Use of Cell-Site Simulator and IMSI Catcher

LAS VEGAS - Oct. 26, 2019 - PRLog -- Cell Site Simulators, also known as IMSI catchers or Stingrays, are systems that pose as legitimate cell phone towers, tricking cell phones with a certain distance into registering and connecting to the system rather than an actual cellular service provider's cell phone tower.

Cell Site Simulators are used by law enforcement and government agencies to track and locate the targeted cell phones with greater accuracy than telephone companies. In addition, Cell Site Simulators will log IMSI numbers (unique identification numbers) of all mobile devices within a certain radius. Some advanced Cell Site Simulators may have upgraded features that allow law enforcement to intercept or even modify communications data.

How Cell-Site Simulators Work

Generally speaking, there are two types of devices used by law enforcement that are often referred to interchangeably: passive devices (which we will call IMSI catchers) and active devices (which we will call cell-site simulators). The unique feature of Passive devices (https://usdgs.com/dgs-360-passive-gsm-interceptor/) is that they do not transmit any signals. The passive cellular intercept system works by plucking cellular transmissions out of the air, the same way an FM radio works. Once the signals are captured by the passive cellular interceptor, they then get decoded (and sometimes decrypted) to find the IMSI of the target cell phone and track it.

Active cell-site simulators work very differently than their passive cousins. Cellular devices are designed to connect to the nearest cell site (or so-called cellular towers) with the strongest signal. To exploit this, the cell-site simulators transmit signals that are either stronger than the legitimate cell sites around them or are made to appear stronger. This causes devices within the range to disconnect from the legitimate cell sites of their service providers and instead to establish a new connection to the cell site simulator. Cell site simulators (https://usdgs.com/dgs-320-semi-active-gsm-interceptor/) also have passive features, such as the detection of valid cell sites and the mapping of their coverage areas.

How Law Enforcement Uses Cell-Site Simulators and IMSI Catchers

Lately, there is a rise in the use of such surveillance technology by the domestic law enforcement at the local, state and federal levels. They use this cellular intercept technology (https://usdgs.com/cellular-monitoring/) to carry out various activities in the fight against domestic crimes. For example, cellular intercept technology such as IMSI Catcher and Cell-Site Simulators are used to investigate different criminal activities from narcotic trafficking to human trafficking, as well as kidnapping. Law Enforcement and various government agencies are also using Cell-Site Simulators and IMSI Catchers to help in the apprehension of violent and dangerous fugitives.