Hackers presented "Kraken" to break the encryption algorithm in GSM-networks

As we all know, the overwhelming majority of cellular work with GSM networks, this situation is observed in most countries. Mobile phones operating in GSM-networks, now there are about 3.5 billion worldwide. One can imagine what a tasty morsel of interception and wiretapping of cellular conversations is for attackers of all kinds. True, all the data transmitted over GSM networks is encoded using the A5 / 1 algorithm (in most networks), and it is not so easy to decode the transmitted data (at least for ordinary hackers, it is clear that the special services have long used excellent equipment that allows all do it). So, the A5 / 1 encryption algorithm is very quickly cracked by the software presented recently, called “Kraken”.

Hackers have so far provided only preliminary information on this software, promising to make a full-scale presentation at the Black Hat security conference.
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Back in December, enthusiastic experts developed special cryptographic tables that facilitate and speed up the hacking process of the A5 / 1 algorithm. Now both the tables themselves and the software, which is now hacking into the above-mentioned algorithm in just minutes, have been finalized. Frank Stevenson, one of the authors of the development, is not going to stop there and is already working on improving his Kraken so that the algorithm can be cracked in seconds, not minutes.

Experts say that with such software, the process of hacking the data coding algorithm is so simplified, and the cost of such hacking is so reduced that a little more - and almost children can buy the appropriate equipment and software to listen to mobile phone conversations.

True, with hardware, a small snag is that the mentioned team with Frank Stevenson at the head is not going to supplement its software with hardware stuffing (that is, a device for intercepting conversations), because they fear persecution from representatives of the law. But they argue that, in principle, even nothing special needs to be developed, there are already relatively cheap devices that allow you to intercept almost any conversation in a certain area of ​​operation without any problems.

Interestingly, in spite of the announced software, representatives of the GSM Association said only that “hacking the data encryption algorithm in GSM networks is a very expensive, complicated and time-consuming process.” In general, so far no one really cares about this. Maybe the information bomb will “explode” next week when hackers demonstrate their software on Black Hat? We'll see, but for now it remains to be hoped that the boy hacker from the neighboring house is not able to listen to mobile conversations, no matter what the guys from the GSM Association say.

Here you can find the source .