Security flaws allow global cellular eavesdropping

Security flaws in a system used by telecoms companies to manage cross-border cellular connections could open the door to wide-ranging surveillance of mobile phone traffic.

The problem was discovered by German researchers in August and quietly communicated to cellphone companies earlier this month. The Washington Post first reported on it Thursday.

The global cellular operators body GSMA says it has conducted a preliminary analysis and provided security recommendations to its members.

GSMA spokeswoman Claire Cranton told The Associated Press on Friday that the reported problem in the Signaling System 7, or SS7, affects 2G and 3G networks, but not the newest 4G standard.

Karsten Nohl of Berlin-based Security Research Lab, who discovered the problem, says he plans to release full details at a hacker conference in Hamburg, Germany, next week.