Understanding Cellular Telephone Security and Privacy © 2007,
Simson L. Garfinkel This guide summarizes all cellular telephone
security and privacy issues that I am aware of. If you know of
issues that are not on this list, please let me know. Kinds of
Cell Phones There are many different kinds of cell phones, each
with a different security profile. Before you can understand the
security of your cell phone, you need to know what kind of cell
phone you have. Analog Cell Phones, also called AMPS (Advanced
Mobile Phone System). These were the first cellular telephones.
Developed in the 1970s and deployed in the 1980s and still used
today. These phones transmit voice as an analog signal without
any encryption of scrambling. As a result, they can be
eavesdropped upon using handheld scanners sold at places like
Radio Shack. Analog systems are widely deployed throughout the
US, especially in rural areas. Although analog cell phones are
still sold but not a good deal, as analog providers generally
charge a lot of mon