404 Media: DHS Says China, Russia, Iran, and Israel Are Spying on People in US with SS7
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) believes that China, Russia, Iran, and Israel are the "primary" countries exploiting security holes in telecommunications networks to spy on people inside the United States, which can include tracking their physical movements and intercepting calls and texts, according to information released by Senator Ron Wyden.
Senator Wyden’s office says the DoD confirmed it believes that all U.S. carriers are vulnerable to Signaling System 7 (SS7) and Diameter surveillance, and that DoD has not reviewed third-party audits carried out by U.S. carriers of their own networks.

SS7 is used to route messages when a phone user roams outside of their area of normal coverage. But it is also leveraged by governments, surveillance contractors, and financially motivated criminals to target phones too. These malicious parties gain access to SS7 through legitimate telecommunications companies or even operating their own. They lease access to a Global Title, which is essentially an address to route messages with. With that access, attackers may be able to track a phone and person's location, or intercept their communications armed with just their phone number. SS7 attacks are also used to deliver malware that can then infect the target’s mobile device itself.

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