Carriers say smartphone 'kill switch' attractive to hackers

November 20, 2013

Mobile carriers are opposed to the plan for a smartphone 'kill switch' that would render smartphones inoperable after they are stolen, claiming that it could be misused by hackers to block critical services.New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón have been pushing for the switch to be installed in smartphones, and on Wednesday criticized mobile operators following reports that they were rejecting the proposal. "It is highly disturbing that these corporations rejected a proposal that would have helped keep millions of consumers safe," the officials said in a joint statement.Even if technically feasible to develop, a permanent 'kill switch' has very serious risks, mobile industry group CTIA said in a filing to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, titled "Why a 'Kill Switch' isn't the answer."CTIA said the kill message, which will be in some format such as a special SMS, could be misused to disable a phone forever as it would be known to every operator and hence cannot be kept a secret. Hackers could take control to disable phones of customers, including those of defense and law enforcement officials.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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