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(U) New Technology Making Waves: MMS
FROM:
(S//SI) Technical Leader, Proliferation and Arms Control's SIGDEV Branch
(S2G23)
Run Date: 10/07/2004
(U) Multimedia Messaging Service, or MMS, is a messaging service allowing users to exchange
any or all of the following: text, sound, pictures, and video. No doubt you've seen
advertisements of MMS-capable phones, some of which are called camera phones.
(S//SI) Although hindered by interoperability issues, which are slowly dwindling, MMS-capable
networks and handsets are now available in many countries around the globe, with Africa and
the Middle East lagging behind. We know many of our targets possess phones capable of
sending and receiving MMS, and we've seen direct evidence of its use by specific targets. With
this in mind, the question arises: "Can we get SIGINT from it?" Unfortunately, the current
answer is, "Not yet;" however, steps are being taken to rectify this. These steps include the
development of:
an automated collection and processing capability for traffic from MMS-carrying networks
-- MMS requires more bandwidth than Second Generation (2G) cellular systems, such as
GSM. Currently, the predominant mobile network capable of carrying MMS is General
Packet Radio Service (GPRS), which is considered a 2.5 Generation (2.5G) network. S3 is
heading an effort to build an architecture to process GPRS data, and they are currently
preparing to test key processing threads.
an automated capability to extract and process MMS that is embedded in GPRS data -S3 is about 85% finished in developing this capability.
a database and interface for storage, retrieval and viewing of MMS -- for those familiar
with Short Messaging Service, this is analogous to building a DISHFIRE-like tool for MMS.
This will be challenging, because MMS utilizes many different formats for each media:
text, sound, picture and video. There is currently an A&P Analytic Need to provide such a
tool, but development has not yet started.
(S//SI) As MMS is a relatively new technology, it is important to document which targets are
using MMS, and for what purposes. That information can then be used to determine the right
priority level for the development of capabilities to exploit MMS. If you are a SIGINT analyst, you
can help! If you suspect that your target uses MMS, please send any relevant information -including what the target is and how you suspect it is using MMS -- to
@nsa.
(U//FOUO) An MMS solution is on the way, hopefully sooner rather than later.
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid_comms)."
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DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108