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Ghost Operators: How Israeli Telecoms Were Exploited to Track Citizens Worldwide

Haaretz • May 2, 2026

Citizen Lab shows how a sophisticated SMS exploit can turn your smartphone into a tracking device – and how 4G and 5G networks are being abused, too

Israeli telecom infrastructure was used to track citizens in more than ten countries over the past three years, according to a report published recently by the digital research group Citizen Lab.

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Exploitation of Israeli Telecoms for Global Citizen Tracking Revealed A recent report by Citizen Lab indicates that Israeli telecom infrastructure has been exploited to track citizens in over ten countries during the past three years. The exploitation involves a sophisticated SMS vulnerability that turns smartphones into tracking devices, leveraging both 4G and 5G networks. The report highlights two distinct tracking operations, one linked to a Swiss firm and the other involving Israeli companies 019Mobile and Partner Communications, both of which deny involvement. The tracking exploits utilize the SS7 signaling protocol, originally designed for call routing, and the newer Diameter protocol, which is intended to enhance security in mobile networks. British regulators recently banned the abusive practices associated with these exploits, which have been identified as a significant source of malicious traffic. The findings reveal that even modern signaling systems are vulnerable to exploitation by spyware firms. The investigation underscores the ongoing risks associated with legacy telecom infrastructure in the smartphone era. 3 sources 71

Ghost Operators: How Israeli Telecoms Were Exploited to Track Citizens Worldwide

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