Somewhere on the darknet there are people who say they will intercept the calls and texts of a mobile phone for USD250. They also claim to be able to provide complete access to a compromised SS7 port for USD5,500. Called Interconnector, the service is being touted on Tor, the anonymous network. Its providers claim that hacking SS7 networks is ‘easier than you think’. Or perhaps it is harder than they know, but they want to trick the gullible into parting with their money. Their customers can hardly complain to the police if they discover they paid for USD250 for a service that does not let them spy on their girlfriend’s messages.
Whilst there have been repeated warnings about the insecure nature of SS7, Interconnector sounds like the offering of chancers trying to take advantage of free publicity and low levels of understanding in order to score some easy money. USD250 sounds just too cheap to be credible. Such a low price would attract the interest of millions of creeps and criminals, whilst the NSA would soon be told that their budget should be slashed. However, you can decide for yourself if Interconnector is real or a fake. The woman who runs the service was interviewed by The Verge, and you can read their article here. Or you could venture on to the darknet and contact her yourself…