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3G and 4G USB Modems Are Security Threat, Black Hat Presenter Says 50

Posted by Soulskill
from the concrete-blocks-are-a-security-threat dept.
alphadogg writes "The vast majority of 3G and 4G USB modems handed out by mobile operators to their customers are manufactured by a handful of companies and run insecure software, according to two security researchers from Russia. Researchers Nikita Tarakanov and Oleg Kupreev analyzed the security of 3G/4G USB modems obtained from Russian operators for the past several months. Their findings were presented this week at the Black Hat Europe 2013 security conference in Amsterdam. Most 3G/4G modems used in Russia, Europe, and probably elsewhere in the world, are made by Chinese hardware manufacturers Huawei and ZTE, and are branded with the mobile operators' logos and trademarks, Tarakanov said. Because of this, even if the research was done primarily on Huawei modems from Russian operators, the results should be relevant in other parts of the world as well, he said."
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3G and 4G USB Modems Are Security Threat, Black Hat Presenter Says

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  • Search harder (Score:5, Informative)

    by dutchwhizzman (817898) on Saturday March 16, 2013 @02:41PM (#43192037)
    ZTE and Huawei products are in fact for sale in the USA and Europe as well. I don't know about South America, but I presume you can get them there as well. Maybe the major US telco's don't bundle ZTE or Huawei products with their 3G/4G offerings, but the hardware is for sale for certain. Several EU operators (notably Vodafone) bundle these products. Assuming that because you don't see the products in the USA they are only available in Russia is kind of short sighted, the world is more than just Russia and the bundled hardware you get in the USA, you know?

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