Hackers Paying $32K for Obsolete Nokias
Budget Nokia handsets are selling for thousands and even Nokia doesn't know why.
This week reports surfaced about criminals who were willing to pay over $30,000 for old, discontinued Nokia handsets that were apparently hackable. Today, Nokia denies any knowledge of a vulnerability in the 1100 handset that would allow it to intercept one-time passwords needed to complete an online banking transaction.
According to PCWorld, police contacted a security company called Ultrascan Advanced Global Investigations looking for any ideas as to why this particular handset was be in such high demand. At the time, 1100s manufactured in a factory based in Bochum, Germany were going for roughly €5,000. Engelsman said (citing an informant) that phones produced in the Bochum factory run on Nokia software from 2002 that is apparently vulnerable to tampering.
On Monday, PCWorld reported, citing Frank Engelsman of Ultrascan Advanced Global Investigations that about a week and a half ago, someone paid €25,000 (US$32,413) for one of the phones. Today PCWorld has more information as to why these phones are so valuable.
“The 1100 can apparently be reprogrammed to use someone else's phone number, which would also let the device receive text messages. That capability opens up an opportunity for online banking fraud.”
The report goes on to explain that online banking in some countries (e.g. Germany) allows customers to transfer money into other accounts using a code called an mTAN. This mobile Transaction Authentication Numbers is sent to the user’s phone and can then be entered into the online form. As a security feature, each code is unique and only applies to a single transaction. If fraudsters can fix a phone to receive text messages from another number, they can intercept these passcodes.
Nokia says it knows of no glitches in its software that would allow criminals to carry out any of the above. "We have not identified any phone software problem that would allow alleged use cases," the company said in an e-mailed statement.
I used one of these phones for a while (a washing machine incident had me between handsets) and paid around under a hundred quid for it. It made phone calls and sent text messages.* It’s hard to imagine it doing anything else.
Check out the full report for all the details. Does anyone have one of these phones at the moment? If so, mini question of the day: Are you willing to sell it to criminals for $30,000?
*It also had one of those nifty built-in flashlights and Snake II, but I don’t know is that really relevant. Just thought I’d put it out there in the interest of full disclosure.
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Someone also paid $10,000+ for a used notebook on eBay and it doesn't mean a thing. It is just one scammer managed to beat another scammer to the notebook. (Ever wondered why scammer always won at auctions?)
“The 1100 can apparently be reprogrammed to use someone else's phone number, which would also let the device receive text messages. That capability opens up an opportunity for online banking fraud.”
$30,000 dollars for an "opportunity" for online banking fraud is a dumb investment on the criminals part, IMO
interesting anyway lol
If someone offered me $32,000 for a crappy phone, yea I'd sell it lol.
So would I, LOL.
I wonder if any of the 5,000,000,000 phones my wife has bought in the last few years is one of these.... $30,000, sweet!!!!
I have 3 of them if you want to buy them. I'll even pay for the shipping to Germany.
You know what I could buy with $30,0000. A NEW CORE i7 EXTREME PC with GTX 295 in quad SLI and a 22" 2ms moniter!
I would pay off my car and school loans =D
You know what I could buy with $30,0000. A NEW CORE i7 EXTREME PC with GTX 295 in quad SLI and a 22" 2ms moniter!
You had me interested until you hit the 22" monitor. WTF is the point of all the horse power if you can only drive it at 22" and crappy resolutions?
I love how you guys jumped right over the whole "assisting organised crime" thing and headed straight for detailing what you'd spend the dirty cash on. Your class truly knows no bounds.
I'd sell it in a hearbeat. I'm going to go look in my old phone box and see if I've got one.
Built in flashlights should be a feature of EVERY phone. I loved the NEC phone I had with one. I was ridiculously bright. Now with my dare I have to start a stupid video to get the light to come on.
For the phone developers out there. PLEASE PUT A FLASHLIGHT ON YOUR PHONES!
I love how you guys jumped right over the whole "assisting organised crime" thing and headed straight for detailing what you'd spend the dirty cash on. Your class truly knows no bounds.
*shrugs* Hey, nokia insists there's no way for these phones to be used for criminal activities. So why not?
I love how you guys jumped right over the whole "assisting organised crime" thing and headed straight for detailing what you'd spend the dirty cash on. Your class truly knows no bounds.
They aren't assisting organized crime. They're scamming a bunch of dumb criminals that hope to get LUCKY with bank fraud. I don't think you can use the word "organized" to refer to these people.
My father has one of these cellphones that he doesn't use anymore. But I certainly don't plan on selling it to criminals no matter how much is offered.
My father has one of these cellphones that he doesn't use anymore. But I certainly don't plan on selling it to criminals no matter how much is offered.
Find out if you can reach a buy-out with a major phone company or the IRS. Yay!
I have 4 Nokia 1100's. I love them to death. They are practically unbreakable. The different colored faces have made it easy to distinguish them within my family. I find the flaslight indepsensible, and the 1100 has proven to be by far the best alarm clock I have ever owned. The battery life is absolutely unmatched, and with my Net10 service, I never worry about roaming, and have almost no dead-zones. The thing is almost too powerful, in that my radio gets overloaded whenever I make or receive a call.
It would not suprise me 1 bit if someone figured out how to easily use these for crime.
But I would also gladly sell all 4 of my 1100's for the right price
Holy crap Nokia's phone can now be used for illegal purposes. Let's sue Nokia!! *sarcasm*
Don't sell it, they can use it to commit banking fraud and steal their money back!
They are not stupid, y'know
Maybe terrorists have devised a way to use these phones to take down a plane. Is there anything special about the internals of this phone as opposed to other cell phones?
I love how you guys jumped right over the whole "assisting organised crime" thing and headed straight for detailing what you'd spend the dirty cash on. Your class truly knows no bounds.
................. NICE ONE
You had me interested until you hit the 22" monitor. WTF is the point of all the horse power if you can only drive it at 22" and crappy resolutions?
thats what i was thinking
more like 28" monitors, they only cost $50-80 more.
I would like a flashlight feature on my phone also, one that just turns on the flash and keeps it on. if i do something with myphone to make it glitch the light will stay on, but it takes like 10 seconds, i want a light!
You had me interested until you hit the 22" monitor. WTF is the point of all the horse power if you can only drive it at 22" and crappy resolutions?
LMFAO so true!
you'd have to fake a sim card to pull (assuming it's gsm) to pull off the scam so you either would have to posses it in the first place or sniff out the id. In the latter case if you have the equipment to do it it defeats the purpose to buy a $30K phone since you'd already have stuff capable of faking the phone number. All in all even if 1100 is hackable (I'm sure it is
) it would be a really stupid idea to buy it for $30K 
On the topic: didn't Kevin Mitnick or whats his name go to jail for some similar shit?
actually, I've been getting many phone calls lately that have spoofed numbers. From what I've researched, it's possible to do ANI spoofing which will make your number seem like someone else's at your choice, however it does not mean those person's calls would come to your phone.
unless..theres something I don't know about
I would pay off my car and school loans =D
Crap - what do you drive and where do you go to school? $32k would be more like $24k after paying taxes - enough for my car and 1 year of in-state tuition.
Holy crap Nokia's phone can now be used for illegal purposes. Let's sue Nokia!! *sarcasm*
Well you know the eu they just might...
why be so obvious 32k!? for a old phone hmm?
Do I need to go to India to get the money from my long lost cousin first? No scam artist would pay $30,000+ just for the opportunity to steal someone's money.
=D I have one 1100... who pays more?
Listen JMcEntegart:
The Germans and the Finns collaborating to swindle the German people out of their hard earned cash. Doesn't it just MAKE sense to facilitate something like that? :-P
wow, would it be illiegal in any way to sell a phone for 30,000? heck id even take 20k if it where truly legal