Journey to the Center of PSTN: I Became a Phone Company. You Should Too
Demystifies the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), explaining how to establish a licensed telecommunications carrier to explore telecom routing and SS7.
Summary
The Hidden Infrastructure of the PSTN
The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) underpins global voice communication, yet its regulatory and technical architecture remains largely opaque to security researchers.
Becoming a Licensed Telecom Carrier
Enzo Damato details the technical and bureaucratic process of registering as a legitimate competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) to gain direct interconnection with global telecom carriers.
Exploring SS7, SIP Interconnects, and Call Routing
Direct carrier interconnection grants access to raw SS7 signaling links, SIP trunking exchanges, and Caller ID databases, exposing fundamental vulnerabilities in telephone authentication and routing.
Telecommunications Security and Policy Implications
Understanding the inner workings of carrier networks enables researchers to identify telecom fraud, caller-ID spoofing, and advocate for cryptographic caller authentication standards (STIR/SHAKEN).
Related talks
Hack In The Box Security Conference·1 hr
Sergey Mashukov
Sergey Mashukov analyzes #HITBGSEC D2: Creating A Fuzzer For Diameter And LTE Telecom Protocols.
War Stories·43 min
Tracy Mosley
Tracy Mosley traces the generational evolution of cellular networks from 2G to 5G, breaking down core network topologies, attack surfaces, and protocol vulnerabilities.
Main Stage·21 min
Moritz Abrell
Moritz Abrell demonstrates modern VoIP phreaking against Microsoft Teams Direct Routing, exploiting SIP and Session Border Controller (SBC) misconfigurations.