Nokia 1100: The Best-Selling Cell Phone With a Dark Secret – Why Cybercriminals are Paying Thousands for This Classic Model

2024-03-27 21:23:08

Although more than 20 years have passed since its launch, More and more people are looking to purchase the Nokia 1100 cell phone, which is the best-selling in history and currently offers few functions. Some reach pay up to 25,000 euros for the emblematic model.

What is this phenomenon due to? Because the cell phones that were manufactured in Bochum, Germany, have software from 2002 and can be used to intercept one-time passwordsessential to complete a bank transfer or payment.

In Europe Gangs of cybercriminals of different nationalities are often arrested, such as Russians, Moroccans and Romanian who used this modus operandi.

A few years ago, PC World magazine published the article called “Nokia: we don’t know why criminals want our old phones”, in which it says that a notice from the German police reached the headquarters of the so-called Ultrascan Advance Global Investigations ( UAGI), a company that carries out market research.

The German security forces detected that on the black market people were paying up to 25 thousand euros for the Nokia 1100, which was released on the market in 2003 for less than 100 euros. More than 200 million of this model were manufactured.

The peculiarity is that They only offered high sums of money for equipment manufactured at the Bochum plant in Germany.

Cybercriminals pay thousands of euros for the Nokia 1100 model if it was manufactured in Bochum, Germany, before 2003

The alleged problem with the Nokia 1100 that turns it into a treasure for hackers

According to UAGI, the Nokia 1100 can be reprogrammed to use someone else’s phone number and even receive text messages. With that, in countries like Germany, it would be enough to commit fraud.

In Germany and other nations, banks send what is called mTAN (mobile Transaction Authentication Number) to a person’s cell phone. That number must be entered into a web form to make, for example, a bank transfer to another account.

Nokia reiterated that it does not Knows of problems with the 1100 software that allow a user’s identity to be impersonated. He added that the SIM card – which holds the phone number – has security mechanisms separate from the equipment itself.

At the moment there are no known details of specific victims, and even a German site published an advertisement to sell a Nokia 1100 and see how much was offered. The highest offer was around 500 euros.

When was the Nokia 1100 launched?

The Nokia 1100 was introduced in August 2003. In 2007 it was declared the best-selling electronic device in human history with 250 million units sold and was finally discontinued in 2009.

This phone achieved its success mainly by focusing on the developing country market. It stood out for its affordability and simplified design, offering ease of use, following in the wake of popular models such as the 5110/3210/3310. In an era when phones were just beginning to integrate additional functions such as camera, infrared or color, this device was positioned as a reliable alternative before the rise of smartphones.

With a 96×64 pixel monochrome screen, the Nokia 1100 Its keyboard and front were designed to resist dust, while the sides were non-slip. In addition, its flashlight function, activated by pressing the “C” key, made it even more practical in everyday situations.

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