DragonOS creator Aaron recently uploaded a video on YouTube showing how to capture IMSI data from an LTE-enabled phone by using the open-source LTE sniffer tool and Ettus X310 software-defined radio.
In the video, Aaron uses a simulated environment involving a Signal SDR Pro to simulate the LTE cell phone, a B205 Mini operating as the eNodeB (base station), and an Ettus X310 SDR for the actual LTE sniffing. The SRSRAN software running on DragonOS is used to simulate the LTE network environment.
Aaron goes on to show how the LTE sniffer software passively decodes the physical downlink control channels and captures IMSI numbers from user cell phones.
An IMSI is a unique identifier associated with a cell phone user's SIM card. IMSI sniffing cannot be used to listen to or decode voice, text, or data as they are all encrypted. However, bad actors can use IMSI sniffing to track the movement of devices/people.
