Hackers Can Track Your Cellphone Without Your Knowledge

Researchers have discovered that hackers can easily use the data between GSM towers and your phone to get your rough location.

The tracking of a user happens via data packets that are typically sent to a phone to help a cell tower to locate a phone and allocate the appropriate resources to support a call. Such packets are also sent to tell the phone that someone is calling it. The researchers found that they could force cell towers to send the data and hang up, before the recipient's phone rings. However, by then, the location data is already available. Apparently, there is no need for support from a cellular provider and open source software running on "commodity" platforms will give hackers or anyone else who wants to track cell phone user location access to exploit the vulnerability.

I always had the understand that getting a cell phone would come with a risk of people, companies, and the government knowing my location.  However, I am not sure if I want hackers to be on that list of people who know. 

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