SS7 is a legacy signalling network that dates back to the 1970s. It was originally designed to enable exchange of subscriber and call information between telecoms switches and between carriers. It was repurposed to support mobile networks, including the new function of roaming. It’s been around a long time and other technologies have evolved since. SS7 is still key for functions such as roaming into countries that haven’t evolved their networks, so it’s unlikely to disappear any time soon.

Yes, and no. Diameter is used to connect 4G/LTE network elements also supporting roaming between carriers. It is also present in elements of the 5G network. However, there are other mechanisms in 5G that increase security and are not based on Diameter or SS7. SS7 is also still used even in 4G/5G only networks to support legacy functions. As of now there is no clear replacement and multiple technologies are relied upon for 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G.

SS7 is used by every mobile operator around the world. Lots of things have changed over the years and it is one of the most complex and misunderstood protocols. When first introduced, only carriers had access to SS7 making it in effect a walled garden. Today, it’s possible to buy access to SS7 which means that there are now new threat surfaces targeted by bad actors.

For example, one key function of both SS7 and Diameter networks is mobility management. Your carrier must know where your device is so that it can be connected to the network, which means that its location is known at all times. One SS7 vulnerability involves the ability to interrogate a network and to discover the location of any mobile device, anywhere in the world. There are ways to mitigate this threat – and that’s what we do.

Other frequently exploited vulnerabilities include the ability to intercept traffic remotely, or attacks based on attracting subscribers to rogue cell towers from which key data can be extracted. Our approach is to mitigate these threats and keep you aware.

The International Mobile Subscriber Identity is a globally unique tag used by SIMs that identifies every mobile subscription. It effectively acts as an address to identify a subscriber within the country, and mobile carrier. IMSIs are used for routing so that traffic makes its way back to the home network. It is your on-network signature.

It’s essential to protect an IMSI to prevent fraud. Most subscribers have a single IMSI that never changes (unless you lose the SIM card) – but not those of Trustmobile.

The Mobile Subscriber ISDN Number is a phone number. It’s the number used to reach your device and to connect you to different services. It is used for both messaging and when you sign up for an application, such as iMessage, Signal or WhatsApp.

While you might only wish to give your mobile number to a limited number of people, it’s still used by the network – so can be vulnerable to bad actors.

Just like browsing from a desktop or tablet device, interactions with applications and web services from your mobile device can be tracked and used for advertising purposes – particularly from free services that collect your data and sell it.

The ways in which you use the internet, your shopping and browsing habits – even your financial transactions – can similarly be tracked. Reputable organisations, like your bank, will take steps to protect you – but other applications can have a less rigorous approach.

So, if your data history is not protected, your footprint can be targeted by rogue individuals. We protect your data, so that the changes of any breach are vastly reduced.

In all carrier networks, IMSIs and MSISDNs (signatures) create a footprint as they interact with visited mobile networks (particularly when roaming). In cases of compromised networks, data can appear in leaks or call data records. Making calls or sending SMSs generate these data. Our approach is to provide you with different IMSIs and MSISDNs and periodically change these to make it harder for bad actors to link and track subscriber activity.

A firewall is a technology that seeks to protect the borders of different networks, so that invasive attacks from outside can be blocked. Just like in IP networks, an SS7 or Diameter firewall filters and monitors the interconnections of the SS7 and Diameter network.

There are international standards that provide best-practice for blocking vulnerabilities and adapting to emerging threats, so an SS7 firewall is not a static solution but one that has to evolve and be updated, as well as constantly stress tested. SS7 is one of the most complicated and flexible protocols, which means there is a wide attack surface.

Our firewall is built to withstand current and emerging threats including both the well-known and well-exploited ones, and some of the more ingenious ones. We continually invest in iterative upgrades, so we can stay ahead of the curve.

A virtual phone number can be used instead of the actual MSISDN associated with a SIM, so that the number that is provided to contacts and used for messaging is unrelated to any identity retained on the SIM or visible on the mobile carrier network. This means that the identity with respect to your contacts and applications that you use can be shared, while the underlying identity is hidden from sight. Think of this as a mail forwarding address without providing your home address.

We manage this process with our virtual number management solution – and we can also offer additional virtual numbers from networks around the world, so you can change these for different situations. You can also build circles of trust – sharing one identity generally, while restricting access to others.

No, we don’t. We provide data-only services, so we can protect your data footprint and avoid creating the more obvious trail left by voice calls. You can easily use one or more of your virtual identities with applications, such as Signal or WhatsApp.

Anywhere you want! We offer worldwide coverage, with excellent rates and data allowances.

We offer three packages – and you can read all about them, here. Users of our two primary packages get our application, through which they can control their service. You can use your providers MDM or opt for our own fully managed service offer.

No, our service is independent of the device and operating system, so you can use any iOS or Android device.

Yes, any device that supports iOS or Android can be used to connect to the Trustmobile service.

Mobile Device Management covers all management aspects for a pool of mobile devices. Many enterprises use their own MDM platform or obtain these services from a trusted provider.

MDM helps organisations implement a consistent set of policies across phones, tablets and computers, as well as to manage a standard suite of applications. Security is one aspect of this, and our enhanced security methods can easily be added to MDM platforms.

We have developed our application to manage our enhanced eSIM and virtual number platforms, and to present a control interface to individual users. It allows them to use messaging services with virtual MSISDNs, associate them with calling applications, and to manage network signatures. It is compatible with both iOS and Android, so will work on any modern device.

Yes, we protect you against threats to your bank accounts and other financial products by providing dedicated virtual numbers for 2FA (2 Factor Authentication), and also by not enabling SMS on our eSIM subscriptions – so, your real identifiers can never be accessed by rogue actors and fraudsters.

Call Data Records, or CDRs, provide a summary of any call event for billing purposes. As such, they show the numbers of the devices that were involved in the session, when it took place, its duration, location and much more. This information is sensitive and can be mined for private data that can be used by bad actors.

Our CDRs will only ever show virtual numbers, so we protect against any potential leakage, hiding your real identities.