Category Archives: Federal Communications Commission

Why You Should Opt Out of Sharing Data With Your Mobile Provider

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A new breach involving data from nine million AT&T customers is a fresh reminder that your mobile provider likely collects and shares a great deal of information about where you go and what you do with your mobile device — unless and until you affirmatively opt out of this data collection. Here’s a primer on why you might want to do that, and how.
Certain questions might be coming to mind right now, like “What the heck is CPNI?” And, ‘If it’s so ‘customer proprietary,’ why is AT&T sharing it with marketers?” Also maybe, “What can I do about it?” Read on for answers to all three questions. Continue reading Why You Should Opt Out of Sharing Data With Your Mobile Provider→

Most top mobile carriers retain geolocation data for two years on average, FCC findings show

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Only seven of the companies explicitly mentioned protecting that data with encryption.

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FCC rules requiring foreign governments to disclose broadcast time take effect

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FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said new rules requiring foreign governments to disclose when they lease broadcast time in the U.S. will increase transparency.

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Robocalls keep spamming Americans, in part because of their cyber tools

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After a surprising lull at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, phone scammers are back, and showing signs of overlapping more and more with text messages and cyber elements. Scammers are combining phone calls with tricks to circumvent two-factor authentication, using information they obtain online to make more targeted calls and, in some cases, mimicking the attack methods of hackers, government and industry officials say. Phone scams that merge with other methods are growing more frequent and difficult to contend with, said Connecticut Attorney General William Tong. “I think it’s common and it’s dangerous, particularly the way that they’re able to cloak themselves or convince you that you need to respond to a particular call or email,” he said. Internet technology has helped fuel a record number of robocalls thanks to the advent of voice-over IP, a tool that made mass calling convenient and more affordable. Estimates vary, but most […]

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Who’s Behind Monday’s 14-State 911 Outage?

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Emergency 911 systems were down for more than an hour on Monday in towns and cities across 14 U.S. states. The outages led many news outlets to speculate the problem was related to Microsoft’s Azure web services platform, which also was struggling with a widespread outage at the time. However, multiple sources tell KrebsOnSecurity the 911 issues stemmed from some kind of technical snafu involving Intrado and Lumen, two companies that together handle 911 calls for a broad swath of the United States. Continue reading Who’s Behind Monday’s 14-State 911 Outage?→

FCC officially names Huawei, ZTE as national security risks

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The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has designated Chinese telecommunication providers Huawei and ZTE as national security risks, a decision that officially prohibits American phone companies from purchasing their equipment with government subsidies. The announcement Tuesday comes after U.S. intelligence agencies have repeatedly warned that Huawei and ZTE could conduct espionage against the U.S. and its allies on Beijing’s behalf. The FCC’s decision takes effect immediately. It prevents U.S. companies regulated by the agency from spending federal funds obtained through the $8.3 billion Universal Service Fund (USF) — which is designed to promote universal access to phone services — on equipment or services from Huawei or ZTE. The companies are subject to a Chinese law that requires firms to provide authorities with sensitive data, even if they’re unwilling to do so. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement that both companies “have close ties to the Chinese Communist Party and China’s military apparatus,” […]

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FCC Proposes to Fine Wireless Carriers $200M for Selling Customer Location Data

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The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today proposed fines of more than $200 million against the nation’s four largest wireless carriers for selling access to their customers’ location information without taking adequate precautions to prevent unauthorized access to that data. While the fines would be among the largest the FCC has ever levied, critics say the penalties don’t go far enough to deter wireless carriers from continuing to sell customer location data. Continue reading FCC Proposes to Fine Wireless Carriers $200M for Selling Customer Location Data→

Who Owns Your Wireless Service? Crooks Do.

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Incessantly annoying and fraudulent robocalls. Corrupt wireless company employees taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to unlock and hijack mobile phone service. Wireless providers selling real-time customer location data, despite repeated promises to the contrary. A noticeable uptick in SIM-swapping attacks that lead to multi-million dollar cyberheists.

If you are somehow under the impression that you — the customer — are in control over the security, privacy and integrity of your mobile phone service, think again. And you’d be forgiven if you assumed the major wireless carriers or federal regulators had their hands firmly on the wheel. Continue reading Who Owns Your Wireless Service? Crooks Do.→