[AusNOG] Tracing a stolen mobile phone

[Mark Andrews]

> On 9 Jul 2019, at 4:20 pm, Robert Hudson <hudrob at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> On Tue, 9 Jul 2019 at 15:53, John Edwards <jaedwards at gmail.com> wrote:
> http://www.amta.org.au/pages/Lost.and.stolen.phones
> 
> 7.    No tracking of lost or stolen mobiles:
> Your carrier does not track lost and stolen mobiles and they cannot be pinpointed.
> 
> Well, we all know that's an indirect lie.
> 
> https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-16/metadata-retention-privacy-phone-will-ockenden/6694152 
> 
> And I guarantee they can pinpoint it tighter than that too, using proper triangulation, as referenced here:
> 
> https://searchengineland.com/cell-phone-triangulation-accuracy-is-all-over-the-map-14790  
>  
> I have spotted devices with the logos of Australian carriers in the windows of phone shops around South East Asia, which might give you some clues as to how effective IEMI blocking is.
> 
> AMTA specifically mentions that it's only valid within Australia - IMEI blocking requires cooperation between carriers, and I'm honestly a little surprised that Telstra/Optus/Voda/others manage to cooperate to do it given how often they screw up other cooperation events (like number porting).

There is no technical reason IMEI blocking can’t be done internationally.  There just isn’t the willingness to do it.

-- 
Mark Andrews, ISC
1 Seymour St., Dundas Valley, NSW 2117, Australia
PHONE: +61 2 9871 4742              INTERNET: marka at isc.org