Picture of a cellular base station

Active Measurements in Cellular Networks

Improving the Resilience of Critical Infrastructure

Gabriel Gegenhuber

Active Measurements in Cellular Networks

Förderjahr 2024 / Stipendium Call #19 / Stipendien ID: 7308

This thesis focuses on active measurements in live cellular networks to improve both security (e.g., protection against hackers) and transparency for customers and the public. By identifying and reporting security vulnerabilities, we aim to improve the security of cellular networks and increase transparency in their operations. This will enable informed discussions for regulators and policymakers, while also strengthening consumer rights by giving customers more leverage with their operators.

Uni | FH [Universität]

Universität Wien

Themengebiet

Datenschutz

,

Free Software

,

Mobile Devices

,

Programmieren

,

Sicherheit | Privacy | Überwachung

,

Zivilgesellschaft|Netzpolitik

Zielgruppe

Techniker:innen

,

thematische Community

Gesamtklassifikation

Dissertation | PhD

Technologie

Linux

,

Python

,

raspberry pi

Lizenz

GPL 3.0

,

CC-BY-SA

,

CC-BY

Projektergebnisse

Code GPL 3.0

MobileAtlas Sourcecode.

https://github.com/sbaresearch/mobile-atlas

Code GPL 3.0

scanywhere Sourcecode.

https://github.com/sbaresearch/scanywhere

Code GPL 3.0

VoWiFi Scanner Sourcecode.

https://github.com/sbaresearch/vowifi-epdg-scanning

Code GPL 3.0

Qualcomm MBN/MCFG File Parser Sourcecode.

https://github.com/sbaresearch/mbn-mcfg-tools

Code GPL 3.0

Prekey Pogo (WhatsApp Key Retrieval) Sourcecode.

https://github.com/sbaresearch/prekey-pogo

Code GPL 3.0

Repository über WhatsApp User Enumeration.

https://github.com/sbaresearch/whatsapp-census

Paper CC-BY-SA

MobileAtlas: Geographically Decoupled Measurements in Cellular Networks for Security and Privacy Research

https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.08507

Paper CC-BY-SA

Zero-Rating, One Big Mess: Analyzing Differential Pricing Practices of European MNOs

https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.08066

Paper CC-BY-SA

An Extended View on Measuring Tor AS-level Adversaries

https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.08517

Paper CC-BY-SA

Why E.T. Can't Phone Home: A Global View on IP-based Geoblocking at VoWiFi

https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.11759

Paper CC-BY-SA

Diffie-Hellman Picture Show: Key Exchange Stories from Commercial VoWiFi Deployments

https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.19556

Paper CC-BY-SA

Never Gonna Give You Up: Exploring Deprecated NULL Ciphers in Commercial VoWiFi Deployments

https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.12348

Paper CC-BY-SA

SIMulator: SIM Tracing on a (Pico-)Budget

https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.20800

Paper CC-BY-SA

Careless Whisper: Exploiting Silent Delivery Receipts to Monitor Users on Mobile Instant Messengers

https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.11194

Paper CC-BY-SA

Prekey Pogo: Investigating Security and Privacy Issues in WhatsApp's Handshake Mechanism

https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.07323

Paper CC-BY-SA

Hey there! You are using WhatsApp: Enumerating Three Billion Accounts for Security and Privacy

https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.20252

Zwischenbericht CC-BY-SA

Zwischenbericht (Interim Report) written in German.

stip7308_Call19_Zwischenbericht_V01.pdf
508.12 KB

Zwischenbericht

Blogbeiträge

Our work, "Careless Whisper: Exploiting Silent Delivery Receipts to Monitor Users on Mobile Instant Messengers", was honored with the Best Paper Award at RAID 2025, recognizing it as the top contribution among all 281 submissions.

(26.11.2025 )
Best Paper Award at RAID 2025

In modern cellular networks, communication with the operator (such as calls and messages) no longer relies solely on the radio interface. These services can now also be carried over alternative access technologies like the Internet. Meanwhile, tradit

(26.08.2025 )
WiFi Calling and Instant Messengers

Research topic, state of the art and goals of the thesis.

(03.12.2024 )
Measuring Cellular Networks

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