QCSuper: Eavesdropping on Device Becomes a Hobby

QCSuper is ‎a‏ ‎versatile ‎tool ‎that ‎serves ‎multiple‏ ‎purposes ‎across‏ ‎different‏ ‎sectors. ‎Its ‎ability‏ ‎to ‎capture‏ ‎and ‎analyze ‎raw ‎radio‏ ‎frames‏ ‎from ‎Qualcomm-based‏ ‎devices ‎makes‏ ‎it ‎indispensable ‎for ‎telecom ‎operators,‏ ‎security‏ ‎researchers, ‎network‏ ‎developers, ‎and‏ ‎educators.

Main ‎Features ‎of ‎QCSuper

📌Protocol ‎Support:‏ ‎Captures‏ ‎raw‏ ‎radio ‎frames‏ ‎for ‎2G‏ ‎(GSM), ‎2.5G‏ ‎(GPRS‏ ‎and ‎EDGE),‏ ‎3G ‎(UMTS), ‎and ‎4G ‎(LTE)‏ ‎networks. ‎Partial‏ ‎support‏ ‎for ‎5G ‎is‏ ‎available ‎for‏ ‎certain ‎models

📌Device ‎Compatibility: Works ‎with‏ ‎Qualcomm-based‏ ‎phones ‎and‏ ‎modems, ‎including‏ ‎rooted ‎Android ‎devices ‎and ‎USB‏ ‎dongles

📌Data‏ ‎Output: Generates ‎PCAP‏ ‎files ‎with‏ ‎GSMTAP ‎encapsulation, ‎which ‎can ‎be‏ ‎analyzed‏ ‎using‏ ‎Wireshark

📌Ease ‎of‏ ‎Use: Simple ‎commands‏ ‎to ‎start‏ ‎capturing‏ ‎data

📌Cross-Platform ‎Support:‏ ‎Can ‎be ‎installed ‎on ‎both‏ ‎Linux ‎and‏ ‎Windows‏ ‎systems, ‎with ‎detailed‏ ‎instructions ‎provided‏ ‎for ‎both ‎platforms

📌Research ‎and‏ ‎Analysis:‏ ‎Widely ‎used‏ ‎by ‎telecom,‏ ‎mobile, ‎and ‎security ‎researchers ‎for‏ ‎analyzing‏ ‎radio ‎communication‏ ‎exchanges

Hardware ‎Requirements‏ ‎for ‎Using ‎QCSuper

📌Qualcomm-Based ‎Devices: ‎The‏ ‎primary‏ ‎requirement‏ ‎is ‎a‏ ‎Qualcomm-based ‎phone‏ ‎or ‎modem.‏ ‎This‏ ‎is ‎because‏ ‎QCSuper ‎relies ‎on ‎the ‎Qualcomm‏ ‎Diag ‎protocol‏ ‎to‏ ‎capture ‎raw ‎radio‏ ‎frames

📌Rooted ‎Android‏ ‎Phone ‎or ‎USB ‎Modem: For‏ ‎Android‏ ‎phones, ‎the‏ ‎device ‎must‏ ‎be ‎rooted ‎to ‎access ‎the‏ ‎necessary‏ ‎diagnostic ‎interfaces

📌Operating‏ ‎System ‎Compatibility: QCSuper‏ ‎has ‎been ‎tested ‎on ‎Ubuntu‏ ‎LTS‏ ‎22.04‏ ‎and ‎Windows‏ ‎11. ‎It‏ ‎is ‎recommended‏ ‎to‏ ‎use ‎Linux‏ ‎for ‎better ‎compatibility

📌Wireshark: ‎Wireshark ‎is‏ ‎needed ‎to‏ ‎analyze‏ ‎the ‎PCAP ‎files‏ ‎generated ‎by‏ ‎QCSuper. ‎Different ‎versions ‎of‏ ‎Wireshark‏ ‎are ‎required‏ ‎depending ‎on‏ ‎the ‎type ‎of ‎frames ‎being‏ ‎captured‏ ‎(e.g., ‎Wireshark‏ ‎2.x ‎—‏ ‎4.x ‎for ‎2G/3G ‎frames, ‎Wireshark‏ ‎2.5.x‏ ‎for‏ ‎4G ‎frames,‏ ‎and ‎Wireshark‏ ‎3.6.x ‎for‏ ‎5G‏ ‎frames)

Limitations

🚫QCSuper ‎cannot‏ ‎be ‎used ‎with ‎non-Qualcomm ‎phones.‏ ‎The ‎tool‏ ‎specifically‏ ‎relies ‎on ‎the‏ ‎Qualcomm ‎Diag‏ ‎protocol ‎to ‎capture ‎raw‏ ‎radio‏ ‎frames, ‎which‏ ‎is ‎a‏ ‎proprietary ‎protocol ‎available ‎only ‎on‏ ‎Qualcomm-based‏ ‎devices. ‎Therefore,‏ ‎it ‎is‏ ‎not ‎compatible ‎with ‎phones ‎or‏ ‎modems‏ ‎that‏ ‎do ‎not‏ ‎use ‎Qualcomm‏ ‎chipsets

🚫QCSuper ‎cannot‏ ‎capture‏ ‎5G ‎radio‏ ‎frames ‎on ‎all ‎devices. ‎The‏ ‎ability ‎to‏ ‎capture‏ ‎5G ‎frames ‎is‏ ‎limited ‎to‏ ‎certain ‎models ‎of ‎Qualcomm-based‏ ‎devices.‏ ‎The ‎tool‏ ‎has ‎partial‏ ‎support ‎for ‎5G, ‎and ‎this‏ ‎functionality‏ ‎has ‎been‏ ‎tested ‎under‏ ‎specific ‎conditions ‎with ‎Wireshark ‎3.6.x.‏ ‎Therefore,‏ ‎not‏ ‎all ‎Qualcomm-based‏ ‎devices ‎will‏ ‎necessarily ‎support‏ ‎5G‏ ‎frame ‎capture,‏ ‎and ‎users ‎may ‎need ‎to‏ ‎verify ‎compatibility‏ ‎for‏ ‎their ‎specific ‎device‏ ‎model.

Application

Telecommunications ‎Industry:

📌Network‏ ‎Analysis: QCSuper ‎enables ‎telecom ‎operators‏ ‎to‏ ‎capture ‎and‏ ‎analyze ‎radio‏ ‎communication ‎exchanges ‎between ‎mobile ‎devices‏ ‎and‏ ‎the ‎network.‏ ‎This ‎helps‏ ‎in ‎understanding ‎network ‎performance, ‎diagnosing‏ ‎issues,‏ ‎and‏ ‎optimizing ‎network‏ ‎configurations.

📌Protocol ‎Compliance: By‏ ‎capturing ‎raw‏ ‎radio‏ ‎frames, ‎telecom‏ ‎companies ‎can ‎ensure ‎that ‎their‏ ‎networks ‎comply‏ ‎with‏ ‎industry ‎standards ‎and‏ ‎protocols, ‎such‏ ‎as ‎those ‎defined ‎by‏ ‎3GPP‏ ‎for ‎2G,‏ ‎3G, ‎4G,‏ ‎and ‎5G ‎networks.

Mobile ‎Security:

📌Security ‎Research: Security‏ ‎researchers‏ ‎can ‎use‏ ‎QCSuper ‎to‏ ‎study ‎vulnerabilities ‎in ‎mobile ‎networks.‏ ‎By‏ ‎analyzing‏ ‎the ‎captured‏ ‎frames, ‎they‏ ‎can ‎identify‏ ‎potential‏ ‎security ‎flaws‏ ‎and ‎develop ‎mitigation ‎strategies.

📌Penetration ‎Testing: QCSuper‏ ‎is ‎useful‏ ‎for‏ ‎conducting ‎penetration ‎tests‏ ‎on ‎mobile‏ ‎networks. ‎It ‎allows ‎security‏ ‎professionals‏ ‎to ‎simulate‏ ‎attacks ‎and‏ ‎assess ‎the ‎resilience ‎of ‎the‏ ‎network‏ ‎against ‎various‏ ‎threats.

Network ‎Research‏ ‎and ‎Development:

📌Protocol ‎Analysis: Researchers ‎can ‎use‏ ‎QCSuper‏ ‎to‏ ‎capture ‎and‏ ‎analyze ‎signaling‏ ‎information ‎and‏ ‎user‏ ‎data ‎at‏ ‎different ‎layers ‎of ‎the ‎mobile‏ ‎network ‎stack.‏ ‎This‏ ‎is ‎crucial ‎for‏ ‎developing ‎new‏ ‎protocols ‎and ‎improving ‎existing‏ ‎ones.

📌5G‏ ‎Research: With ‎partial‏ ‎support ‎for‏ ‎5G, ‎QCSuper ‎is ‎instrumental ‎in‏ ‎studying‏ ‎the ‎latest‏ ‎advancements ‎in‏ ‎mobile ‎technology. ‎Researchers ‎can ‎analyze‏ ‎5G‏ ‎frames‏ ‎to ‎understand‏ ‎the ‎new‏ ‎features ‎and‏ ‎challenges‏ ‎associated ‎with‏ ‎5G ‎networks.

Educational ‎and ‎Training ‎Purposes:

📌Training‏ ‎Programs: QCSuper ‎is‏ ‎used‏ ‎in ‎training ‎programs‏ ‎to ‎educate‏ ‎telecom ‎and ‎security ‎professionals‏ ‎about‏ ‎mobile ‎network‏ ‎protocols ‎and‏ ‎security. ‎It ‎provides ‎hands-on ‎experience‏ ‎in‏ ‎capturing ‎and‏ ‎analyzing ‎real-world‏ ‎network ‎traffic.

📌Academic ‎Research: Universities ‎and ‎research‏ ‎institutions‏ ‎can‏ ‎leverage ‎QCSuper‏ ‎for ‎academic‏ ‎projects ‎and‏ ‎research,‏ ‎helping ‎students‏ ‎and ‎researchers ‎gain ‎practical ‎insights‏ ‎into ‎mobile‏ ‎network‏ ‎operations.