In Iraq, I had knowledgeable folks swear to me that cell phones had never been used to detonate bombs there. Those images we’ve all seen on CNN — they’re of long-range cordless telephone, not cells. The cell network just isn’t reliable enough for a quality-conscious bomber, they say. Since I’ve been home, I’ve had other people swear the exact opposite to me.
Either way, New Scientist is right in saying that cells “provide a simple yet effective way for terrorists to remotely trigger a bomb.” And that’s why it’d be great news if an idea for “a portable device devised by US defence contractor Raytheon [to] quickly identify and disable such weapons” really works out. {Here’s a link to the patent.)
The device includes a transmitter that mimics a cell phone base station and a metal horn to concentrate the signal from a 10 milliwatt power source in a single direction. Scanning… a concealed phone… with the tool… tricks it into thinking it is in range of a new network base station and blocks it from any genuine stations in the vicinity.
The suspect phone will also respond with a handshake signal containing its phone number, allowing a network operator to temporarily disconnect it from the real network, and preventing it from receiving a detonation call.
(Big ups: CC)
Phone Bomb Interceptor on the Line?
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{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
Nioe concept, but why be so defensive. How about a system that calls every cell phone in iraq. Have it go off at random times, conveying a message from the Iraq government.
You get to spread offical word & have the benefit of making a bomb maker’s life a tad more scary.
Can’t you jam cell phone signals pretty effectively? Why not just do that? It’s not like the insurgents can change it up like they do to defeat other devices – they have to use the cell phone infrastructure.
Maurs,
Jammability depends on the sophistication of the network. CDMA, for instance, is very difficult to jam due. This system is a little more sophisticated , and I can’t think of a countermeasure that doesn’t involve reprogramming the firmware or something equally exotic.
Easier to just use some other type of remote, which may be easier to jam.
(I really doubt CDMA has made its way to Iraq, though. I’d guess their cell networks are still first- or second-generation.)
Question: By using a different type of receiver on an explosive device, can’t the signal from a third parties cell detonate that device (if rigged to do so)? Sure would cut down on the amount of annoying people making and receiving calls in public places.
Iraq is currently all-GSM, after the Representative from Qualcomm’s bid to make them have phones they couldn’t use outside Iraq failed..which makes it harder to jam due to frequency agility. Not just that, but you have to consider whether shutting down everyone else’s phones is a net gain
UMTS (GSM 3G) or CDMA2000 would be harder still – wider bands, cell-breathing, better encryption. The real solution, though, if you want to bug a mobile network, is to plug into the core network rather than the RAN – but doing that tactically would be tough.
Maurs above I think has the best idea. The cell network in Iraq is all brand new, built and operated by US contractors. Why not setup a system that calls every phone in Iraq (Land lines too) two or three times a day at random. Setup a system that gives out good information to anyone that answers the phone and listens. It can easily be billed as a service to the Iraqi people, while at the same time pervent most of the long range cordless and cell phones from being used as a remote detenation device. I bet it can be done pretty cheap as well…
Incredibly simple workaround. Practically every mobile phone since about 1997 has had the facility to assign different alerts to different numbers. Just set the number that will call to ring and/or vibrate and the rest to silent, yer bomb still works properly and all that scheme achieves is to piss off the Iraqi public still further.
BTW, the three mobile operators in Iraq are not at all American. The biggest one, in central Iraq, is run by Egyptians, Orascom Telecom, the southern one is Kuwait’s MTC with a participation by Vodafone.
Good Morning Gentlemen and Ladies,
As someone who worked for Nokia USA for over five years I can say all the proposals you have suggested are possiable.
But I think it is more then prudent to keep our postings limited to open source information and avoid speculation of how something might be done.
Keep in mind that others also read us and I’m sure that some even those who post are fishing for information.
Many of you clearly know what you are talking about and I’m sure a lot more. Others, well they may consider this board to be finishing school.
Ex. CDMA 2000 is an American Standard,the CDMA standard for Europe and the mid-east that is an overlay for GSM is WCDMA.
ALLONS,
Byron Skinner
“Stewart’s Platoon”
You spelled “defense” wrong in your article.
My idea is based on my experience in routing data in networks. In a remote access solution, a user can connect to a network where they are authenticated. The connection is dropped and the router or Access Server calls back the user at the number it has in its records. Its called PPP Callback.
Wireless phones are authenticated via their phone numbers. We need to change the code for cell phones that connect to cell towers in the Iraq region. When a user powers on a cell phone, the cell phone will connect to the nearest tower. After a connection has been successfully made, the LECs switch back at the central office will call back the cell phone that connected in 5 minutes or some other determined amount of time.
The solution is that Id imagine that the enemy keeps the phone off until they place the IED in position. (Otherwise they risk detonating the IED within their own proximity.) Upon positioning the IED, they have to turn on the phone. (Which establishes a connection with the closest tower.) After a predetermined amount of time, the phone would automatically ring because it was just connected to the network (which is now seeking authorization), thus detonating the IED and saving lives.
The TRUTH is that there is NO WAY to stop a terrorist who is bent on dying for his “cause”. The terrorist is quite simply an efficient killing machine that is evidenced by 19 hijackers on 9-11 averaging 157.8 KILLS PER “SOLDIER”. The best we can do to stop terrorism, is to QUIT FOOLING OURSELVES into believing the LIES that the politicians are telling us. There is MUCH MORE than meets the eye here, and our involvement in Iraq has a parallel to the protracted agony of Vietnam.
I will be discussing my new book “Land of Childhood’s Fears” on Radio Liberty (see http://www.radioLiberty.com) on Thursday 8/18 at 6PM Eastern Time – check the web site for local stations or listen live / download archived programs. The United States is under control of a SHADOW GOVERNMENT, and has been since JFK was MURDERED by the CIA – I prove this in my book, and give references to sources, and describe the entire (proposed) scenario that fits all the available facts.
Oh, and by the way, Colin Powell really made a fool of himself with the Domino Sugar thing after 9-11, because 200 TONS OF DRUGS A DAY is smuggled into the US – what’s 5 pounds of ANTHRAX or E-Bola amid all that.
AMERICA – YOU NEED TO WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE. Iraq is deja Vu all over again – shades of the Gulf of Tonkin incident that never happened that got us into Vietnam. George Bush’s comments in a news conference yesterday 8/11 spoke volumes about his character. New we are in Iraq and can’t pull out – in order that we don’t “seem weak”. We need to invoke Article 25 and get this psychopath out of the White House.
This is very old news. They have been using kids walkie-talkie toy, short range radio (motorrola handheld), beeper, and anything that well accept a signal from any source. So, concentrating on just cell phones will not be enough.
If this can help our guys avoid even one IED bomb, booby-trap, or roadside ambush, it is worth looking into.
With our access of tech knowledge we should be able to mount a repeater on the lead vechile that will run millions of phone numbers per minute hopefully ringing the bomb phone.
In Richard Marcinko’s book Rogue Warrior (the biography) he talks about his Red Cell group building a transmitter that would defeat car bombs in Beruit. It was ruled out as unacceptable. Shortly thereafter the barracks was hit. Until we get as determined to stop them no matter the coat as they are to destroy us – it’s a losing game.
How about going medieval on them…would an old-fashion spark-gap, sparking off at a high rate, might put out enough wide-band interference to keep the phone from receiving a complete dial-in sequence until the vehicle is past? Of course, it would make communications difficult from the vehicle as well, unless you could fix a receiver/transmitter to put data between sparks, or go direct to satellite, or only turn it on when you’re going through a hazardous area.
after reading the vip300x technical specs, i learned that the vehicle mounted ied jammer found at http://www.bombjammer.com happens to be a portable device that defeats rf ied threats. on the site i saw they also have a hand carried system the vip200.
It sounds really hard. GO BRUINS!
good pics of IED discovery
http://www.fumento.com/iraq/
Whilst I was undertaking my final year university project on GSM cell phone positioning (based on a GSM phones ability to detect its location from its view of the network) I found a low-tech way of forcing a basic unmodified nokia to use one base station forsaking all others.
Quite usefull for cheaper cross boader calls but also would make the jammer useless. Agree with earlier comments that concentrating on the trigger is not the best solution. Bomb detection via dogs and electronic noses are surely the way forward but easily.
Noah,
Come on, I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you again, there has not been one single IED reported in the entire country of Iraq with a cell phone as the firing device. Who keeps feeding you this bull? This is really getting ridiculous.
Please remember about OPSEC and what it means to the guys on the ground!
I have been there and lived through that. IEDs are made many way. Jam a cell phone and they will find other way to set it off. When the Warlocks came out it was great. Not only could the bad guys not use there cell phones, neither could we use the cingars. What a great plan. Nobody has c+c on either side. What a waste of money. Oh and by the way. Since the bad guys could not make the IEDs go bang with phones they tied a big long string to them and set them off like that. Low tech solution to a high tech army.
What we should do is to simply shut down all of the cell service in iraq, all paging systems and other electronic emanations. We then should setup up electronic checkpoints to locate and destroy rogue signals. The mujs will then have to setup their ieds the old fashioned way, meaning some loser will have to be a lot closer in order to set it off. We should also setup “decoy” convoys with predators running shotgun. When they hit the convoy, the team of predators should lay waste to a 1 click diameter around the explosion. We’ve all seen the vids of them blowing up our convoys, they are usually only a couple of hundred yards away when they detonate these. Make them wonder all the time if/when we’re going to waste them. We need to stop being reactive in this stuff and go postal at every opportunity! dammit!
IED Jammers now work flawlessly. All would be bombers or Mujahadeen should approach US or allied forces with your hands raised and turn yourselves in. There is no further need to use this worthless tactic. You will be wasting your lives if you dont. Information should also be provided about the IED or bomb makers. You will recieve good food and rest.
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heh well this is sweet stuff for me, have always enjoyed off the roof stuff. By the way liked your blog you got there bud ;)