A new report has alleged that Iran exploited longstanding weaknesses in global mobile telecommunications systems to monitor the locations of United States military personnel before and during the early stages of the recent conflict in the Middle East.

According to the findings, Iranian authorities took advantage of Signaling System 7, commonly known as SS7, a communications protocol widely used by older mobile networks to route calls and text messages between operators around the world.

Cybersecurity experts have long warned that the technology contains security flaws that can be exploited for surveillance purposes.

The report states that by using these vulnerabilities, Iran was able to identify the locations of U.S. personnel stationed at military bases as well as those staying in hotels across countries including Iraq and Bahrain.

The intelligence reportedly supported military operations that resulted in several injuries.

Security agencies in various countries have previously been known to exploit SS7 vulnerabilities for intelligence gathering, making the issue a longstanding concern within the telecommunications industry.

Experts have repeatedly called for stronger safeguards to reduce the risks associated with legacy network technologies.

In addition to SS7, the report alleges that Iran also relied on digital advertising technology to collect location data from mobile devices.

The technique uses information generated through online advertising systems, demonstrating how everyday digital services can potentially be exploited for surveillance activities.

Source: TechCrunch