STATUS: ACTIVE
SECTOR: SIGNALING
LEVEL: UNCLASSIFIED // RESEARCH
Security: Signaling - SS7 (Signalling System No. 7)
SS7 is the foundational protocol for mobile roaming and interconnect. Due to its legacy design for a "trusted" environment, it remains a primary vector for location tracking, SMS interception, and fraud.
🛡️ Tactical Domain Mapping: SS7 Security
| Area / Component | Functional Security Objective | ITU Rec (Official PDF) | 3GPP Equiv | 3GPP Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location Tracking | Peer Authentication & Filtering | Q.1331 | TS 23.003 | /technologies |
| SMS Interception | Signaling Message Integrity | Q.3062 | TS 23.040 | /security |
| CLI Spoofing | Origin Identity Verification | Q.1331 | TS 24.008 | /architecture |
| Subscriber Profiling | Signaling Obfuscation | X.805 | GSMA FS.11 | /audit |
| Inter-Operator Trust | Cross-Layer Crypto Trust | X.509 | IPsec / mTLS | /interfaces |
🚦 Tactical Release Realizations
For release-specific 3GPP implementations of legacy signaling security, see the generation bridges:
🏛️ Strategic Alignment
- ITU Series: Primarily mapped to itu-t Series-Q (Signaling) and itu-t Series-X (Security Architecture).
- Study Groups: SG11 (Requirements) and SG17 (Security Mitigation).
🧪 Penetration Testing Tools
- s7scan: Protocol-level scanner for SS7 vulnerabilities.
- SigPloit: Telecom signaling pentesting framework.
- SND-Audit: Subscriber Network Data auditing tool.
📋 Field Audit Checklist
[ ]SMS Home Routing: Is SMS Home Routing (GSMA FS.19) implemented to prevent SMS interception?[ ]Category 1/2/3 Filtering: Are the GSMA FS.11 signaling filters active at the STP/GTT?[ ]MAP/CAP Whitelisting: Are Peer SCCP addresses whitelisted for inter-operator interconnect?[ ]GLR (Gateway Location Register): Is a GLR used to minimize the exposure of HSS/HLR data to external peers?[ ]TCAP Handshake: Is the TCAP handshake strictly enforced for all sensitive MAP operations (e.g.,sendRoutingInfo)?
!WARNINGSS7 Vulnerability Awareness: Most SS7 attacks occur at the STP (Signaling Transfer Point) or GTT (Global Title Translation) level where malicious requests are bypassed due to legacy trust configurations.
Temporal SignatureSYNC_ID: 19E40412B24
ITU-T Navigator v4.0.0
IntegritySIGNAL: SECURE