A few weeks have passed since Russia first invaded Ukraine, and unfortunately, it seems that the war was not even close to the end. At the time of the conflict, many things are revealed that civilians may not know in everyday. One of the things that has an impact on Ukraine is cellphone weaponry. The Ukrainian army recently received a long warning list related to using their cellphones in a safe way. The consequences of not following the guidelines can be terrible. But why is it actually a smartphone, and cellphone in general, the threat to the front line?
The battle in modern times is far different from the war we all learned in history books. There are still tanks and missiles, bringing destruction and hurting millions of innocent lives. Unfortunately, it hasn’t changed. However, one different thing is the fact that we are now living in the digital world, full of various digital signals, the internet, and countless ways for people tracked by skilled military personnel and special equipment.
During World War I and World War II, lit a cigarette at night was one of the most careless things that a soldier could do at the forefront. Even the smallest splash of light in a less dark and calm place can lead to enemy requests to the exact location of the army – and the consequences are terrible. But now, in 2022, light spots have been replaced by a signal that we cannot even see, which comes from the phone that we carry every day.
Something as small as a smartphone can be a dangerous weapon when taken over by the enemy, the Ukrainian army has been told. There are several reasons why using cellphones during the war can prove dangerous. Both sides of the conflict use technology that helps them track enemies using information originating from their respective cellular networks. Make phone calls similar to sending smoke signals, only enemies don’t even need to be nearby to see it. All information is sent to them through a series of devices.
The technology responsible involves a device called “cell site simulator.” The Russian War in Ukraine is clearly not the first example of this device used, and this simulator is also located in the US; They emit a signal that simulates telephone poles and they can be found in drones and trucks. Full moves, this device can be easily moved from one place to the required and can follow along the battlefield path. After being placed in the desired area, the cell site simulator began to take the signal that came from all the telephones around it. In the case of drones, they can safely fly the front line, although clear, they can be shot down if seen. Trucks don’t even need it as close as they are and usually make it unscathed. Russia uses drones and trucks for this technology.
This simulator then requested the nearest call to connect to several telephone pillars in the area. This allows them to measure the signal strength that comes from each cellphone and towards each pole. Because each pole has its own location and the phone will respond in a stronger or weaker way depending on its position, it is very easy to determine the estimated location of the user based on information collected by drones and trucks planted in the area.
Knowing the location that was almost certain was enough for the opponent’s army to send a series of missiles in that direction, and at that time, it might be too late to run. Unfortunately, even technically turned off cellphones may still be a threat in this situation – it is possible to hack the phone to make it look off when it really is still on and transmits a dangerous signal to the enemy. The only way to prevent this is to remove the battery from the phone, but modern smartphones often no longer offer batteries that can be removed.