The United States government is using spy planes equipped with Dirtbox to collect mobile phone information in US.
Dirtbox is a small device which is used to mimic mobile phone tower transmissions from the sky and collect data from millions of smartphone users.The purpose of device is to track a specific target ,but if active,all mobile phone in a particular area will respond to the signal.
According to reports this is not a new technique to snoop Americans.The operation began in 2007 according to Wall Street Journal, a source familiar with the program said these devices are fitted onto Cessna Aircraft and fly from at least five metropolitan airports in the US, covering most of the US population.
Dirtbox operate on the same way as International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) catcher or Stringray tool works.
Stringray are common surveillance device that allows military or intelligence agencies to mimic a cell phone tower and track user's position,intercept data and sometimes Internet traffic,send fake texts and installs spyware on mobile.The IMSI catcher runs a Man In the Middle (MITM) attack that could not be detected by the users.
Both Stringray and Dirtbox make use of "off-the-shell" component to collect cell phone's International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) which differ device to device.IMSS can be used to track movements of mobile phone users.
The US Department of Justice has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of the Dirtbox program, but anonymous sources familiar with their use said the flying spies-in-the-sky were technically above board.
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