The British tabloid News of the World has gone extinct following accusations that the editors and reporters hacked the voicemail of celebrities, royalty and even crime victims.
In fact, accusations have poured in so fast and furiously that one begins to wonder if the organization’s entire news budget went to hackers. CNET asked a somewhat different question: if a bunch of tabloid reporters and editors can do it, how hard can it be to hack voicemail? For the answer, they asked a former hacker, or as he prefers, “security professional,” Kevin Mitnick, if he could explain the dark art of voicemail hacking. He obliged with a hands-on demonstration:
Phone hacking, also known as “phreaking,” is easy to do, Mitnick said, adding that he could demonstrate it on my phone if I wanted proof. So I gave him permission to access my voice mail and told him my mobile phone number.
He called me right back on a conference call so I could hear what was going on. First he dialed a number to a system he uses for such demonstration purposes and entered a PIN. Then he was prompted to enter the area code and phone number that he wanted to call (mine) and the number he wanted to be identified as calling from (again mine). Next thing I know I’m listening to a voice message a friend of mine left me last night that I hadn’t erased.
“See how easy it is?!” Mitnick says as my jaw drops.