#812 When are IMSI catchers likely to be in use?

ppival2026-01-26, edited 2026-01-27OpenQ&A

It seems obvious (to me) that IMSI catchers are most likely to be in use during specific events (protests, demonstrations, etc.), but I wonder if they’re ever left on all the time? I’m trying to figure out if wardriving with Rayhunter is worth anything, or should I only pull it out when I expect there might be an IMSI catcher in use?

Comments (2)

untitaker2026-01-27Answer

It seems obvious (to me) that IMSI catchers are most likely to be in use during specific events (protests, demonstrations, etc.),

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/09/rayhunter-what-we-have-found-so-far

https://media.defcon.org/DEF%20CON%2033/DEF%20CON%2033%20presentations/Cooper%20Quintin%20-Recording%20PCAPs%20from%20Stingrays%20With%20a%20%2420%20Hotspot.pdf (slide 8 and 35)

but I wonder if they’re ever left on all the time

there have been examples of this (see defcon slides above, I think Penn Station was like that) but whether you would catch them during wardriving really depends on how often they grab your IMSI. the act of grabbing all IMSI in the area takes a few seconds at most, but whether they do that continuously or just every 30 minutes would affect your results.

or should I only pull it out when I expect there might be an IMSI catcher in use?

despite all this I think it’s still better to keep it hooked up in your car if it’s no effort to you, than to let it sit at home unused. but driving around aimlessly just to catch something feels like wasted effort.

ppival2026-01-27

Exactly what I was looking for, thanks!