Sprint PCS Uses Caller-ID as it’s Authenticator for Voice Mail Access!

MSNBC has a disturbing article describing how easy it is to hack into Sprint PCS voice mail systems.

Here’s the problem. I am a Sprint PCS subscriber. When you set up your voice mail, you are invited to “activate a special feature” that allows you to retrieve your Sprint PCS voice mail without having to type your account password. However, this feature is supposed to only work when you are calling your voice mail from your Sprint PCS phone!.

It turns out, according to this MSNBC article, that Sprint PCS uses Caller ID as the authenticator. Now anybody who has their own telephone switch with a digital interface to the phone company can spoof Caller ID. This is an old trick that ex-hacker Kevin Mitnick has discussed for years.

So what could be done?

Well, Caller-ID could be made more secure: There is no reason that my phone company should accept any Caller-ID string.

Second, Sprint PCS is a cell phone company! They should know the difference between a landline calling their voice mail system and one of their own cell phones.

Third, there should be some kind of liability on companies that knowingly market systems that are not secure. Don’t you think?