Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons Podcast Meet Rayhunter
Sep 1, 2025
Join Cooper Quintin, security researcher at EFF, and The Gibson, founder of Hackers.Town, as they dive into the Rayhunter project, a groundbreaking tool aimed at detecting cellular surveillance. They discuss how our phones inadvertently broadcast our locations and the threats posed by cell site simulators. The conversation highlights privacy activism, the evolution of surveillance technologies, and practical steps individuals can take to protect their digital privacy. This engaging dialogue sheds light on the intersection of technology, activism, and community efforts.
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Baseband Chips Are A Distinct Risk
- Modern phones include a separate baseband processor that handles cellular radios and is largely outside the phone maker's control.
- That baseband exposes unique attack surface used by IMSI catchers and baseband exploits.
Community Data Enables Oversight
- Rayhunter's goal is transparency: collect baseline evidence so experts and the public can understand where IMSI catchers are used.
- Lack of vendor and police transparency means community-collected data fills crucial gaps for policy debates.
What Cell Site Simulators Do
- Cell site simulators are fake cell towers that trick phones into connecting and can capture IMSI or IMEI identifiers.
- Those identifiers let operators locate devices or perform follow-up attacks like downgrades or SMS spoofing.
