Hello,
I am curious as to the process of generating unlock codes for mobile phones.
And, how can the Telcos block other parties from using this process (if this happens)?
Does anyone understand how this works and could post here an explanation?
Thanks for info, Cheers, Adhoc
[EDIT] : Referring to 3rd party sellers of unlock codes.
Case in point; Telstra locked Nokia Lumia 530 phones. Unlock codes were available for months? and then one day they just stopped.
That used to be the case, telcos/manufacturers have beefed up their security on this quite a bit now.
It's a bit of a secret world but from what I've been privy to most of the codes now are gained by staff from the operators. Most customer service reps have access, as to many resellers, there are hundreds if not thousands of them, and it's much easier than trying to constantly keep ahead of the cat and mouse game of the code generation and salt algorithms.
Get a network of people in the know, no one will notice them if they pump out 20-30 or so unlock codes a day when they typically take ~250 calls per day.
You mean if you "buy" an unlock code for a handset?
In the old days it used to be easy, once the algorithms were cracked they could churn out working codes.
Nowadays the manufacturers are wiser and most info suggests the unlock codes are produced randomly and tied to the IMEI (and then the operator).
Codes now would most likely come from contacts within the operators or manufacturers that have access to the DBs. That's why there's usually a 1-2 day lag in getting the codes (send IMEI/operator off to contact, get codes back). I've worked for a few telcos (behind the scenes) and have known customer service ops that have been fired for giving out info like this. But realistically because providing unlock codes is part of their job the chances of getting caught are so slim and they make a bit of money on the side. Little to no harm done.
Telcos can only "block" the process by finding the people doing it and firing them. And since there are so many customer services ops in telcos there will be plenty to take their place providing the service. It's really not treated as a big deal in telcos, there are much bigger fraud issues to keep an eye on.
TL;DR: Codes come from telco or manufacturer customer service reps who have access to the databases and want to make some spare change under the table. It's very safe for you as a handset owner, the only risk is possibly wasting a few bucks and getting a dud code, but if you go to a provider with good reputation, they'll usually come through.
What about IMEI locked handsets, does your average joe CS personnel have the ability to unblock those (if yes why is that not a service one can buy for a few dollars)?
does your average joe CS personnel have the ability to unblock those
Yes.
if yes why is that not a service one can buy for a few dollars
Because it's very easy to get fired for doing it. Someone steals your handset, you report it and they block the IMEI, a CS rep unblocks the IMEI and you get charges. You ring the telco say you blocked it, they investigate and find on the audit the rep who unblocked it. Rep gets fired.
Giving out network unlock codes has a basically non existent likelihood of negatively impacting a paying customer thus no complaint, no investigation, no action against rep. Unblocking an IMEI has a very high chance of getting investigated and getting you fired.
I see. Do AU telco have an IMEI based tracking service where they can locate a handset via GPS or able to track what sim is currently in the handset? I understand this is not applicable in some countries due to privacy reasons. Seems like a good idea to leave stolen phones unblocked so thieves can be caught?
Thanks for the excellent info everyone.
Why would 3rd party seller unlock codes be available for months for a specific Telco+phone and then one day simply stop?
Case in point Telstra + Nokia Lumia 530, Many sellers around the world 'said' they had unlock codes and then all of a sudden this just stopped?
So not all of these 3rd party unlock code sellers would have worked for Telstra or Nokia?
I understand it's an algorithm that creates the unique unlock code for the phone. Who controls this algorithm and can this be changed to stop the 3rd party unlock code sellers ?
Cheers Everyone,
Adhoc
In simple terms, the unlock code is just a mathematical caculation. Imagine that your phone phone has a unique number. The formula is applied to that number to get the unlock code. Anyone who knows the formula can generate the unlock code.
I can't say it's absolutely impossible, but as far as I know, the Telcos can't invalidate a code. Their only security is to not reveal the formula used to calculate the code.