Cell phone voicemail easily hacked

“They got Paris Hilton’s contacts, and could get yours, too

Millions of cell phone users are at risk of having someone listen to their voicemail or steal their contact phone numbers and other private information, according to a report issued this weekend by an industry consulting firm.

Representatives from Sprint, Cingular, and T-Mobile confirmed the basic premise of the attack, which is possible because those services enable consumers to turn off the password-checking function.

Cell phone hacking gained prominence last month when reports surfaced that pop star Paris Hilton’s T-mobile voicemail and phone book had been hacked.

The attack is simple, according to Bob Egan of MobileCompetency.com, who wrote the report. Most cell phone providers offer a service called “skip passcode,” which allows mobile subscribers to enter their cell phone voicemail and select other administrative options without entering a numeric password. Callers are sometimes told the service is safe, because cell phone providers ensure the call is initiated from the handset owned by the consumer — making the password unnecessary.

But Eagan discovered that services use caller ID to authenticate the cell phone, and months ago, hackers learned how to spoof, or “trick” the caller ID system. Using such a service, a hacker can dial the mobile account holder’s telephone system and immediately access their voice mail and other services.

Essentially, knowing someone’s cell phone number is enough to gain access to their voice mail and all their administrative tools.”

Full article: Cell phone voicemail easily hacked