'Beyond the financial risk, there are real public safety implications': Hackers crawled Canadian streets with SMS blasters, attacking every target in sight — causing 13 million network disruptions and hacking thousands of devices
Hackers in Canada used mobile SMS blasters mounted in vehicles to impersonate cell towers and disrupt 13 million network connections. The devices forced nearby phones to connect to fake networks, enabling large-scale smishing attacks that bypassed standard telecom protections. Authorities identified the operation, centered in Toronto, as the first of its kind recorded in the country.
- ▪Hackers used SMS blasters in vehicles to mimic legitimate cell towers in urban areas.
- ▪The attack caused 13 million network disruptions and compromised thousands of devices.
- ▪Phones were tricked into connecting to rogue networks, allowing delivery of fraudulent messages.
- ▪The Toronto Police Service confirmed this was the first such operation recorded in Canada.
- ▪The attack bypassed carrier-level filtering, making traditional safeguards ineffective.
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Pro Security 'Beyond the financial risk, there are real public safety implications': Hackers crawled Canadian streets with SMS blasters, attacking every target in sight — causing 13 million network disruptions and hacking thousands of devices News By Efosa Udinmwen published 1 May 2026 A roaming cyberattack forced mobile phones to connect to fake networks When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: UK Finance Via The Guardian) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Fake mobile towers forced phones to disconnect from legitimate networks nearbyMillions of…
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