Observed Signal · Jul 14, 2026 · Security Report · Source: techcrunch · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Negative
Iran Exploited SS7 and Ad Tech to Locate U.S. Forces
A TechCrunch report says the Iranian government exploited known vulnerabilities in global telecom infrastructure—notably Signaling System 7 (SS7)—to locate U.S. military personnel in the run-up to and early stages of the Iran War. Research cited by the Financial Times and attributed to the Mobile Surveillance Monitor and anonymous officials found Iran used SS7-based tracking to identify U.S. forces at military bases and hotels in Iraq, Bahrain and other Middle East locations. The campaign also reportedly leveraged advertising technology that delivers tailored mobile ads as a surveillance vector. Attacks enabled by these location techniques led to strikes that caused multiple injuries.
Demonstrates that both legacy telecom protocols and advertising technologies can be abused for location surveillance, raising material privacy, safety and regulatory risks for the adtech ecosystem and mobile operators.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- The Iranian government exploited Signaling System 7 (SS7) vulnerabilities to locate U.S. military personnel, the Financial Times reported.
- TechCrunch cites research by the Mobile Surveillance Monitor and anonymous government officials about the tracking campaign.
- Iran reportedly located U.S. forces in military bases and hotels in Iraq, Bahrain and other Middle East countries and used that intelligence to strike them.
- The campaign also abused advertising technology that serves tailored ads to mobile users as an additional surveillance technique.
- The strikes enabled by these tracking techniques resulted in several injuries.
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Cyber Warfare: Disrupting Iran Amid Military Strikes
TechCrunch reports that U.S. and Israeli kinetic strikes against Iran were accompanied by coordinated cyber and space operations that disrupted Iranian communications and sensor networks ahead of the attack. U.S. military leadership said the operations aimed to disrupt and disorient Iran. Reports describe Israel bombing state-owned IRIB channels and hijacking broadcasts to air speeches by Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, and using hacked Tehran traffic cameras and penetrated mobile networks as part of operations. Hackers also breached an Iranian prayer app (BadeSaba Calendar) to send messages to users. Multiple news outlets cited in the article characterize these activities as cyber-enabled support for military action and psychological operations.
Surveillance Vendors Abused Telco Access to Track Phones
Citizen Lab published a report detailing two separate spying campaigns that abused weaknesses in global telecom signaling to geolocate individuals. The campaigns used vulnerabilities in SS7 and, where available, Diameter, and in one case used SIM-targeted messages (SIMjacker-style) to turn a target’s phone into a tracking device. Researchers say the surveillance vendors operated as “ghost” companies that piggybacked on three telecom providers — 019Mobile, Tango Networks U.K., and Airtel Jersey (now owned by Sure) — which acted as entry and transit points. Targets included ‘high-profile’ individuals. Citizen Lab did not name the vendors; researchers said clues point toward an Israeli-based geo-intelligence provider profile but provided no definitive attribution. Sure issued a statement denying knowingly leasing signalling access for tracking. TechCrunch updated the story to include 019Mobile’s responses to Citizen Lab.
US: Troops Targeted with Location Data; Senator Calls Adtech Threat
The U.S. Department of Defense, via U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM), confirmed that hostile actors have used commercially purchased location data to target and surveil serving U.S. military personnel in theater, according to a CENTCOM letter shared with TechCrunch by Sen. Ron Wyden. The letter cites multiple threat reports but provides no specific examples. Reuters first reported the matter. The article notes that location data is frequently collected from phones and computers through online advertising, aggregated by data brokers, and sold on open markets — data that governments and militaries have purchased previously without warrants. Sen. Wyden urged treating the adtech industry as a national security threat. The piece references prior FBI guidance recommending ad blockers to reduce location and tracking exposure.
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