Report: Iran Abused Mobile Network Vulnerabilities to Locate U.S. Military

The Iranian government exploited well-known vulnerabilities in the global telecoms infrastructure to locate U.S. military personnel in the build-up to the Iran War, as well as in the early days of the conflict. According to The Financial Times, Iran's intelligence exploited Signaling System 7 (SS7), a set of protocols for 2G and 3G networks that has long been the backbone of how cellular networks connect to route subscribers' calls and texts globally.

Intelligence agencies have long abused SS7 to track cellphones abroad, a method employed in this campaign. Using this technique, Iran was reportedly able to locate U.S. military forces stationed at bases as well as hotels in Iraq, Bahrain, and other Middle Eastern countries, allowing the regime to target them. These attacks resulted in several injuries.

In addition to SS7, Iran also leveraged advertising technology used to serve tailored ads to cellphone users, another known surveillance technique that relies on everyday technology.

Research and anonymous government officials with knowledge of the spy campaign revealed these findings. The exploitation of vulnerabilities highlights ongoing security risks within digital infrastructure and the sophisticated methods of intelligence operations.