Foreign spies have apparently been intercepting cellphone calls in D.C.

Washington D.C.
(Image credit: Andy Dunaway/USAF via Getty Images)

The Department of Homeland Security has acknowledged in a private letter to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) that it has detected the use of special devices to intercept phone calls and messages in Washington, D.C., likely by foreign spies, The Associated Press reports. The devices, which can cost as little as $1,000 and be as small as a cellphone, work by tricking victims' mobile devices into thinking they are connecting to a cellphone tower. "More sophisticated versions can eavesdrop on calls by forcing phones to step down to older, unencrypted 2G wireless technology," AP writes. "Some attempt to plant malware."

The use of these devices, known colloquially as "stingrays," is common in capital cities around the world (as well as in American police departments). Every embassy "worth their salt" has such a tower, claimed the president of the mobile security consultancy Integricell, Aaron Turner. Because foreign embassies operate on sovereign soil, it is extremely difficult to police the use of such devices by foreign nationals.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.