Mobile Threat Catalogue

Jamming Base Station Radio Interface

Contribute

Threat Category: Cellular Air Interface

ID: CEL-8

Threat Description: An attacker prevents the base station from communicating with mobile devices by broadcasting a signal that overlaps the legitimate base station’s communication to the mobile device.

Threat Origin

LTE Architecture Overview and Security Analysis (Draft NISTIR 8071) 1

Exploit Examples

Not Applicable

CVE Examples

Not Applicable

Possible Countermeasures

Mobile Network Operator

Detect, locate, and deactivate the device causing interference with the base station radio interface.

References

  1. J. Cichonski, J.M. Franklin, and M. Bartock, NIST Special Publication 800-187: Guide to LTE Security, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2017; https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/NIST.SP.800-187.pdf [Accessed 3/29/2022]