Browse Definitions :
Definition

stingray (IMSI catcher)

Ivy Wigmore
By

A stingray is a mobile surveillance device that presents itself as a cell tower, appearing to be trusted infrastructure so that targeted smartphones connect to it automatically.

The device, also known as an IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) catcher or a cell site simulator, is used in government and law enforcement operations. Stingrays may be placed in fixed locations or can be mobile in a vehicle or a drone. In addition to detecting the location of targeted users, the devices can also intercept calls and texts from targeted phones and others within the target area. According to privacy groups, stingray devices don't target precisely but can collect data from thousands of phones when used in an urban area.

In September 2015, the United States Department of Justice announced a policy requiring that law enforcement representatives obtain warrants before tracking mobile phones. The DOJ’s "Enhanced Policy for Use of Cell-Site Simulators" also stipulates requirements for handling the data collected by the devices, including an auditing program to ensure that data is deleted properly. Furthermore, according to the policy, the devices cannot legally collect other types of communication data, such as emails, texts, contact lists and images.

See a tutorial on cell site simulators:

This was last updated in December 2015

Continue Reading About stingray (IMSI catcher)

Networking
  • User Datagram Protocol (UDP)

    User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is a communications protocol primarily used to establish low-latency and loss-tolerating connections...

  • Telnet

    Telnet is a network protocol used to virtually access a computer and provide a two-way, collaborative and text-based ...

  • big-endian and little-endian

    The term endianness describes the order in which computer memory stores a sequence of bytes.

Security
  • Mitre ATT&CK framework

    The Mitre ATT&CK (pronounced miter attack) framework is a free, globally accessible knowledge base that describes the latest ...

  • timing attack

    A timing attack is a type of side-channel attack that exploits the amount of time a computer process runs to gain knowledge about...

  • privileged identity management (PIM)

    Privileged identity management (PIM) is the monitoring and protection of superuser accounts that hold expanded access to an ...

CIO
HRSoftware
  • employee resource group (ERG)

    An employee resource group is a workplace club or more formally realized affinity group organized around a shared interest or ...

  • employee training and development

    Employee training and development is a set of activities and programs designed to enhance the knowledge, skills and abilities of ...

  • employee sentiment analysis

    Employee sentiment analysis is the use of natural language processing and other AI techniques to automatically analyze employee ...

Customer Experience
  • customer profiling

    Customer profiling is the detailed and systematic process of constructing a clear portrait of a company's ideal customer by ...

  • customer insight (consumer insight)

    Customer insight, also known as consumer insight, is the understanding and interpretation of customer data, behaviors and ...

  • buyer persona

    A buyer persona is a composite representation of a specific type of customer in a market segment.

Close