All LTE networks and devices are vulnerable to a new attack demonstrated at the Ruxon security conference in Melbourne, Australia.
Ruxcon Hacker Wanqiao Zhang of Chinese hacking house Qihoo 360 has blown holes in 4G LTE networks by detailing how to intercept and make calls, send text messages and even force phones offline.
The tested Frequency Division Duplexing LTE network is more popular than TDD-LTE and operates in Britain, the US, and Australia. The competing Time Division Duplexing (TDD) LTE network is more common in Asian countries and in regions where population densities are higher.
According to Zhang, the attacks are possible because LTE networks allow users to be handed over to underused base stations in the event of natural disasters to ensure connectivity.
