New measures to halt mobile theft

The GSM Association (GSMA) has unveiled new measures aimed at making mobile theft less attractive to criminals.

The trade association is to strengthen the existing system of handset identities using the international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) system.

This IMEI data is fed into the Equipment Identity Register and can be used to disable phones remotely.

Before the agreement to enhance security the potential impact of the database was compromised by security weaknesses in some handsets, the GSMA said.

Currently, either tweaking the firmware or changing the flash memory settings reprograms stolen phones. The process can be done quickly and there is evidence that it is a source of revenue for organised crime.

Rob Conway, chief executive of the GSMA, said greater education was needed. "We also need to talk more of the social benefits of mobility, this is after all a billion-person business," he added.

To improve IMEI integrity, the GSMA and manufacturers have agreed security principles to provide guidance to handset manufacturers and to provide operators with a set of criteria against which they can judge handset security.

It is expected that handsets becoming available on the market in the next 18 months will be "progressively compliant" with the principles.

The GSMA is also establishing a formal process to centralise the reporting of newly identified IMEI security weaknesses.

And there are plans to enhance the association's Central Equipment Identity Register, its global database register of stolen phones, so that GSM mobile operators can work together to prevent the reuse of stolen phones.

Andy Buss, senior analyst at Canalys, warned: "We need to be able to protect against reprogramming tools that are on the market.

"In the longer term all countries with a GSM network need to be in on the scheme, otherwise stolen phones will just be shipped to countries that don't participate."

The IMEI identity number consists of four groups of numbers. The first set is the type approval code, with the first two digits representing the country code. The rest make up the final assembly code.

The second group of numbers identifies the manufacturer; the third set is the serial number and the last single digit is an additional number (usually 0). The number is usually on the phone's battery or can be viewed by keying *#06#.

See also:

3GSM World Congress

The big players in the global mobile telephony industry gathered in Cannes recently to plot the future of mobile communications.  25 Feb 2004

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