Category: Authentic Stealth Phone

Confirmed: XCell Dynamic IMEI v3, launched. And more to come

6/2/2015

Our guessing was confirmed a few days ago: XCell Technologies not only launched the new version of the their famous now XCell Dynamic IMEI but even a new product, too: Dual SIM Dynamic IMEI Stealth Phone. But now about XCell Dynamic IMEI v3:

"The NEW XCell Dynamic IMEI v3 Stealth Phone is the most powerful we have ever built" says XCell Technologies CEO, Steven Broadey. And this is why: they added a new anti-interception feature, the phone being built taking into account the emerging trends and new technologies used by latest IMSI cacthers/Stingrays and GSM interception systems.
    • has been added a new Anti Interception function
    • has been improved GSM interceptor/IMSI catcher detection algorithm (cryptoTracerⒸ) based on the latest developments and achievements in lawful interception industry
    • better management of location tracking pings
    • location spoofing has been improved by neighboring cell towers monitoring
    • GSM Interceptor Proximity Alert has been updated
    • errors generated by TMSI allocation has been suppressed

This is the new v3 User Interface, showing the new functions added:

Finally, XCell Technologies disclose the main hardware modifications they have done on Samsung G608 motherboards, making clear for everyone that other Samsung platforms are not suitable to stealth phones:

XCell Dynamic IMEI v3 motherboard modifications needed for firmware proper functioning

XCell Dynamic IMEI v3 modified motherboard

Not at all surprisingly, XCell Technologies engineers has focused on brand protection, fighting against product counterfeiting. For the first time the company reveals the security methods and labels that they use on their products:

XCell Dynamic IMEI v3 hologram security seals

XCell Dynamic IMEI v3 phone boxes and shipping boxes

What else from XCell Technologies? Well, they have released a new low cost Dual SIM Stealth Phone. Simple as that.

XCell Dual SIM Stealth Phone

What is all about this dual SIM phones?
This seems to be the entry level for Dynamic IMEI phone users, that comes with just few but essential functions:
1. Manual change IMEI, user defined (both IMEI are manually changing)
2. Call Interception Alert (A5 crypto tracer)
3. GSM Interceptor Proximity Alert (Camp Alert)

Hopefully, we will get our hands on both this new XCell products. As usual, only for testing purposes.

The really good news: XCell Technologies says that their Android dynamic IMEI stealth phone is just around the corner.

*photos courtesy of XCell Technologies

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Authentic Stealth Phones: 9 easy steps to identify the real ones

5/31/2015

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The process of identifying a fake product is an art in itself. While most counterfeit products can be identified for it being simply identical or deceptively similar, there are other products, brands and designs which might not be able to be identified by the common eye. In order to find information on fake products, a keen sense of knowledge of brands and original products required to be cultivated. In case of high tech products like XCell Stealth Phones you need not only to take a closer look but also solid technical knowledge.
This is why we have made a simple guide to help you to identify a genuine XCell Stealth Phone.

Please see below what's new on the XCell Technologies new release, XCell Dynamic IMEI v3 Stealth Phone:

Shipping Box: according to XCell Technologies representatives, since January 2015 all XCell Stealth Phones are being shipped into special branded boxes, as you can see on the image below.

Genuine stealth phone shipping box

According to XCell Technologies, since 2010 all XCell Stealth phones comes in branded black boxes.
Please note that XCell Technologies resellers are using the same black boxes, the only difference being that reseller boxes have no XCell logo.

Genuine stealth phone box

Update:
XCell Technologies has changed the phone box design since May 2015:

New genuine stealth phones boxes

You can find the manufacturer website URL on the phone box.
No XCell Technologies URL on reseller boxes.

Manufacturer URL

Update May 2015:
Phone box design has changed:

New stealth phones box design

Every XCell product comes with a security seal applied on the phone box, on the right corner.

Phone Box Security Seal

Update May 2015:
Phone box security seal has been changed:

New hologram security seal

XCell Stealth Phones come with an User Manual, where special functions are explained in detail. Because of sensitive information, some details - such as location spoofing function - are not public, being communicated directly to the user by email.

XCell Dynamic IMEI v2 User Manual

Update May 2015:
A new User Manual or the newest XCell Dynamic IMEI v3 Stealth Phone:

New XCell Dynamic IMEI v3 User Manual

Special setup instructions

Authentic XCell Stealth Phones come with a Quick Settings leaflet, containing special setup instructions.

Special setup instructions

Excepting XCell phones sold by resellers, all XCell devices have an engraved logo. At the express request of the user, the phone can be delivered without logo (generic phone), for a discreet use.

XCell Logo

All XCell handsets are having two distinctive security seals, on the backside: the golden one, attesting that the phone is an original XCell product, and a smaller one which secures one of the screws.

Backside Security Seals

Update May 2015:
Backside security seals has been changed by XCell Technologies:

New hologram security seals

XCell Dynamic IMEI v2 Stealth Phone has a dedicated user interface and an original theme.

Genuine User Interface of XCell Dynamic IMEI v2, original theme

Update May 2015
The new XCell Dynamic IMEI v3 User Interface have a new User Interface:

New XCell Dynamic IMEI v3 User Interface

These differences are visible to the naked eye.
The other differences (the most important actually) are related to the effective functioning of the phone and its special features. Authentic stealth phones works exactly as described on the manufacturer website, while counterfeit stealth phones keeps only the appearance of a stealth phone, its special features being nonfunctional. We have posted on our blog about functional differences between fake and real stealth phones: click here.
We suggest you also watch the demo movies that can be found on the manufacturer website: authentic stealth phones has been tested against an GSM Interceptor.

What can you do if you're not sure?
If you are not sure that you are going to buy an authentic stealth phone, firstly check if there are all security seals and other items listed above. If the seller will not respond to your requests (by sending some detailed pictures, for example), there are already doubts and a primary indication that the phone is not authentic. You may also contact us just because we have enough knowledge that allow us to distinguish between genuine and fake stealth phones. Or you can simply contact directly the original stealth phones manufacturer to confirm if the phone comes from a genuine reseller. Simple as that. And please keep in mind that behind a small price usually hides a counterfeit product.

What can I do if I have already bought a fake stealth phone?
First of all, you have to be aware that you are carrying a ticking bomb in your pockets, only looking like a stealth phone. It's only a matter of time until the so-called stealth phone will betray you, and your wiretapping will explode in a criminal case.
Well, unfortunately we can not offer any legal advice. We suggest you to contact your lawyer or call the Police if you consider that you have been a victim of stealth phone scam. If you bought fake stealth phone on eBay, there is very little chance to refund your money from scammers: they successively open new accounts, as the old accounts are closed down following the victim complaints. Anyway, the first thing you need to do is to quit using your fake stealth phone: does not gives you any call security.

What is the impact of counterfeiting? What are the trends?
The impact of using a fake stealth phone consist in a major breach to your personal security and can even affect your freedom. In the last year the trend for stealth phone scam is that scammers are trying to give the appearance of an authentic stealth phone through various elusive strategies, as the one with the fake label on the backside of the phone, which has been presented on our blog a while ago. Also the scam trend is manifested through the use of simple techniques to attract new buyers, such as "2015 product update": buyers are being fooled that would buy an updated version of the phone stealth. We have wrote about it recently, in our blog.

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More tests, more phones

5/31/2015

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Back in December 2014, we have tried to bypass USB security filter of an XCell Dynamic v2 Stealth Phone (the true stealth phone) as a part of tests regarding passive security and anti-forensic features.

First, we have used our Cellebrite cell phone extraction device in order to extract physical files of the XCell Stealth Phone. No results. Cellebrite UFED could not connect at all to the phone via USB, physical access to the phone being 100% disabled.

Testing a real stealth phone on UFED

UFED fail: no connection to target phone, due to phone USB security filters

So we took the next step: we have tried JTAG connection, when disaster occurred: XCell Stealth Phone has died, with no chances to be resurrected. We found that bootloaders were self destroyed (as a security measure), the operating system can not be launched and this way no data can be extracted. XCell Stealth Phone went into a persistent loop in which we have not managed to bypass.

XStealth Technologies officials have told us that the phone is compromised, and no longer can be repaired in any way except by replacing the motherboard, an operation that cost 400 euro.
Conclusion: XCell Dynamic IMEI v2 phone is 100% secure when it comes to forensic investigations. No chance to extract any information of the phone.

So, earlier this year we have ordered other two XCell Dynamic IMEI v2 Stealth Phones, to continue our study. And now both phones has arrived to our laboratory:

Genuine stealth phone box

Genuine stealth phone boxes

We will keep you updated with the test results of USB security filter bypass.

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The truth exposed: Stealth Phones, fake vs. real ones

5/30/2015

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The ultimate test
Before reading any explanation, please watch the video footage below. It is self explanatory.
This is the supreme test that any scammer or fake stealth phones vendor will hide from you.

The video contains a test done with a SIM card that was intercepted (taped) at that time, tested on two stealth phones (aka change IMEI phones, untraceable phones or dynamic IMEI phones) that looks the same but
are essentially different: a fake and a real one.

First we have tested the fake stealth phone. Although the SIM card was intercepted, no call interception alarm was triggered.
The second time we have tested the intercepted SIM card on a real stealth phone. Interception alarm was triggered as soon as the SIM card has been inserted into the phone. Also during the call was displayed call interception alarm: an open padlock red that persists throughout the call.

Preliminaries.

We are a team of three mobile communications professionals from an European University. Read more about us.

Elaborating an academic study about security of mobile communications, our team bought among others a stealth phone via the Internet, as anyone else would do: by choosing the lowest price. We regretted this later, because at that time the low price was only one that made the difference.

Our case.

Current market shows a relative abundance of stealth phones, most of them sold by private individuals on traditional online sales channels (Internet consumer-to-consumer direct sales). A person interested in buying such a phone is no doubt attracted by the lower price, as the only selection criterion, in the absence of significant information about stealth phones and how mobile wiretap works.
Many buyers have already made this wrong choice, and now their mobile calls security is seriously affected. Why? Because they bought a cell phone that just looks like a stealth phone without actually having stealth phone functions: only apparently stealth functions are present on the phone, but they do not work properly, as vendors claim.
Why this situation? Because a stealth phone needs not only special software, but also substantial hardware changes that make the software run properly. Both software and hardware changes are patented by a Swiss based company, XCell Technologies LLC. This company (and their resellers and distributors) are only able to deliver a true stealth phone, 100% functional.
From technical explanations provided by the company representatives we understand that malfunction also come from the wrong choice of phone platform. While legitimate manufacturer use Samsung G608 platform, those fake stealth phones use cheaper Samsung G600 platform, which is simply not compatible 100% with the software (see Photo 1). We have to mention that the two phones Samsung G600 and G608 looks apparently identical, but have significant structural differences.

Photo 1

Have you ever wondered why some stealth phones are sold by private individuals? The answer is unequivocal and straightforward: on these phones is installed a cracked software, which not work properly, is unstable and is a fraud, in the end of the day. Also, these phones are not hardware modified in any way, which makes the software installed to be useless, giving only the appearance of a stealth phone, not the functionality of a real stealth phone.
In fact, people who sell these fake stealth phones do not know anything about the phone function, nor about the ways in which mobile phones are wiretapped (intercepted). They are limited to installing the cracked software on the phone and copying brief explanations and images from legitimate manufacturer webpage, trying to look more real, informed and professional.
Those who buy a fake stealth phone from a private person (as we did in the first instance) will have to face other problems, too: the lack of elementary customer service or worse,completely wrong explanations about stealth phone functions that will seriously affect the security of mobile calls. Also there is no product guarantee or eventual replacement or repair. The fake stealth phone bought by us got stuck after a few weeks of testing and we were lucky that we managed to make the film. Repair or replacement was refused repeatedly by the vendor, and the website where we've bought has not taken any action against him. Vendor says he only sells phones, not repair nor replace them because it's just a private person and he do not provide additional information about the phone, for those who bought it. But when it comes to personal security and mobile communications, such an approach is totally wrong.

For these reasons we had to buy another stealth phone, to be able to continue our study on mobile communications security. This way we found XCel Technologies, a legitimate company that manufacture and sells these real stealth phones. Before buying the phone we have asked about operating conditions and repair or replacement in case of failure. We received a prompt and professional customer service, every single time. This company replaces any defective mobile phone, the general warranty term is two years, common to any other mobile phone. Until now, however, was not the case for any fixes, the phone works perfectly and does the job, as you can see in the video.

Customer service responses has helped us in our research on mobile communications security, through understanding the ways in which the mobile phone is monitored, tracked and wiretapped, the way it works IMSI catchers (aka StingRays in US) and possibility to detect them. Our study results will be published soon on the University website. Our study conclusions promises to be extremely interesting.

Other differences.

Besides that wiretapping alerts do not work at all, fake stealth phones differ from real ones not only from functional point of view but as legal aspects too. Fake stealth phones differ from real ones by the following aspects:

For legal protection of hardware changes, on real stealth phones are applied security seals, on the inside of the phone. See Photo 2, below.

Photo 2: Security seals

Real stealth phones have engraved the manufacturer logo (see Photo 3), because they can not be legally sold as original Samsung phones, since hardware and software changes that has been done are beyond the control of Samsung Electronics Co. From this point of view XCell Technologies comply with local law and international copyright law, without any export restriction of their products. Legitimate manufacturer sell stealth phones that are Samsung modded cell phones.

Photo 3

Photo 4

Another visible difference: fake stealth phones are using shoddy packaging, a ridiculous copy of the original packaging, as can be seen in the Photo 4. We've got information from other fake stealth phone users that some vendors sell these handsets even in paper envelopes or wrapped in bubble foil without any other packaging.
Since a real stealth phone have software and hardware changes, can not be sold as a genuine Samsung phone in the original packaging, because basically is another product. The packaging used by the legitimate manufacturer is a quality one, unique and distinctive.

What else a scammer or fake stealth phone vendor will use to make you think that is selling a genuine stealth phone?
Well, some of them are trying to use some counterfeit IMEI stickers on the phone backside, trying to give a genuine appearance to their fake stealth phones.Sure, a sticker will not make a fake stealth phone, genuine. In fact not the sticker is important in our opinion, but the phone functions. And fake stealth phone functions does not work at all, as we have clearly demonstrated in the test above.
Others will try to lure you with attractive and suspiciously low prices. It's too good to be true? If you find yourself asking this question, then probably yes, it is not true.
Others will try to use marketing methods that looks pretty hilarious when it comes to secure phones, as the guy behind imeichanger.com, anti-tap.com and secretgsm.com has done in the past: offering a free t-shirt for every handset that he sold. The same guy has been caught in the past, using fake G608 IMEI stickers, trying to fool people that he is selling proper stealth phones and not fake ones. From then, his business reputation was pretty much ruined and now is trying to promote the idea that the sites and business owner has changed, trying to escape of such a bad reputation.. Please see our blog.

Counterfeit stealth phones

Conclusions.

The low price can often be a trap, and in this particular case can be a very dangerous one: it will cost your personal security and will disclose secrets that you think you defend by using a fake stealth phone.

A counterfeit stealth phone is a ticking bomb in your pocket. Unfortunately you find out that you have been fulled by the scammer when usually is way too late: you "stealth" phone has been wiretapped and you got busted.

Trying to help those who want to buy a stealth phone, we asked XCell Technologies to notify us the resellers and distributors list. Company representatives were pretty reserved on the subject, saying that permission to disclose these details is not a part of distribution agreement, emphasizing that some resellers sell these phones under their own trademark and do not wish these details to be made public.
As you can guess, private individuals selling fake stealth phones does not fall into this category.

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Confirmed: XCell Dynamic IMEI v3, launched. And more to come

Authentic Stealth Phones: 9 easy steps to identify the real ones

More tests, more phones

The truth exposed: Stealth Phones, fake vs. real ones

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