Cell phone cloning refers to the act of copying the identity of one mobile telephone to another.Cell phone cloning is a technique wherein secured data from one cell phone is transferred into another phone. This is usually done to make fraudulent telephone calls. The other cell phone becomes the exact replica of the original cell phone like a clone. As a result, while calls can be made from and received by both phones, only the legitimate subscriber is billed as the service provider network does not have a way to differentiate between the legitimate phone and the “cloned” phone. The cloner can set the options to ring his phone when you make a call and you will have no idea that the cloner is listening from his own mobile. He can read text message, phone book entries etc
Though communication channels are equipped with security algorithms, yet cloners get away with the help of loop holes in systems. So when one gets huge bills, there are chances that the phone is being cloned. Millions of cell phones users, be it GSM or CDMA, run at risk of having their phones cloned.
How to Clone a phone?
To Clone Cell phone you need to use software’s that are easily available, once the software is installed they just need the unique IMEI number of the phone and they can digitally imprint these numbers on any of the phone they want. Once this is done they can send messages, make calls to anyone and the person whose phone has been cloned will be held responsible.
CDMA(Code division multiple access):- In a CDMA system, your encoded voice is digitized and divided into packets.These packets are tagged with "codes".The receiving system only accepts the packets with the codes destined for it.The packets then mix with all of the other packets of traffic in the local CDMA network as they are routed towards their destination.
Cloning required access to ESN and MIN pairs.Cloning involved modifying or replacing the EPROM in the phone with a new chip which would allow you to configure an ESN (Electronic serial number) via software. You would also have to change the MIN (Mobile Identification Number). When you had successfully changed the ESN/MIN pair, your phone was an effective clone of the other phone.
GSM(Global system for mobile communication):Global System for Mobile Communications. A digital cellular phone technology based on TDMA. GSM phones use a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card that contains user account information.Any GSM phone becomes immediately programmed after plugging in the SIM card.
Gloning in GSM is rare however, cloning GSM phones is achieved by cloning the SIM card contained within, not necessarily any of the phone’s internal data. GSM phones do not have ESN or MIN, only have an IMEI number. GSM SIM cards are actually copied by removing the SIM card and placing a device between the handset and the SIM card and allowing it to operate for a few days and extracting the KI or secret code. Cloning has been successfully demonstrated under GSM but the process is not easy .
Software available for Cloning
1. CDMA :- Amobile phone can be cloned in seconds using some software’s like Patagonia if PIN and ESN are known, which is used to clone CDMA phones.
2. GSM :- ,For it software’s are available if accused manages to also clone the IMEI number of the handset, there is no way he/her can be traced.
How to checkout whether your cellphone is cloned or not ?
There are no way the subscriber can detect cloning. Events like call dropping or anomalies in monthly bills can act as tickers. But following point mention cloning.
1. Frequent wrong number phone calls to your phone, or hang-ups.
2. Difficulty in placing outgoing calls.
3. Incoming calls constantly receiving busy signals or wrong numbers.
4. Unusual calls appearing on your phone bills.
5. Difficulty in retrieving voice mail messages.
6. The network sees the same phone in several places at the same time.
Technically,When two call from the legitimate user and another who cloned that at the same instant the cloning can be detected.Traffic analysis detects cellular fraud by using artificial intelligence software to detect suspicious calling patterns, such as a sudden increase in the length of calls or a sudden increase in the number of international calls.The software also determines whether it is physically possible for the subscriber to be making a call from a current location, based on the location and time of the previous call.
How to prevent Cloning of the Mobile Phones?
1. Service providers have adopted measures to prevent cellular fraud including encryption, blocking, blacklisting, user verification and traffic analysis
2. Blacklisting of stolen phones is another mechanism to prevent unauthorized use. An Equipment Identity Register enables network operators to disable stolen cellular phones on networks around the world
3. The best way to prevent you simcard or mobile phone from being cloned is to use Authentication feature. Authentication is a mathematical process by which identical calculations are performed in both the network and the mobile phone. These calculations use secret information (known as a “key”) pre-programmed into both the mobile phone and the network before service is activated. Cloners typically have no access to this secret information (i.e., the key), and therefore cannot obtain the same results to the calculations. A legitimate mobile phone will produce the same calculated result as the network. The mobile phone’s result is sent to the network and compared with the network’s results. If they match, the phone is not a “clone.”
4. User verification using Personal Identification Number (PIN) codes is one method for customer protection against cellular phone fraud.
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