Researchers Warn About Sms Location Tracking Flaw That Puts Millions Of Android Phones At Risk: How To Stay Safe

Researchers have issued a warning against a new vulnerability in text messaging that may allow hackers to trace users’ locations. The research group, led by Evangelos Bitsikas, a US-based-Northeastern University PhD student, explains that this flaw allows hackers to track a user’s location using a machine-learning program and data from the SMS system. By obtaining the victim’s phone number and normal network access, hackers can monitor the victim’s location worldwide. The vulnerability lies in the automated delivery notification feature of SMS, which enables attackers to automatically triangulate the victim’s location when a text is sent. To use machine learning to find a location, hackers will only need the target victim’s phone number and have regular network access. The researchers point out that hackers can use this vulnerability to monitor the location of victims worldwide.