SilentAir hijacks Asian carriers to intercept calls and texts
In research published Nov. 11, Enea identified SilentAir, a state-level actor it has tracked since early 2025, using hijacked mobile-operator equipment in at least six Asian countries to target subscribers in a dozen more, chiefly Taiwan.
SilentAir used Signaling System No. 7 (SS7) and Diameter—the messages mobile networks use to route calls and texts—to intercept communications and send silent SMS, texts invisible to recipients that can probe phones. Enea said some targets received two-factor authentication (2FA) codes moments after interception began, suggesting an effort to access other accounts; it did not establish that any account takeovers succeeded.
The access point and the subscriber can be in different countries. For organizations whose staff rely on SMS codes, the report points to a carrier-side route to account access that does not require an intrusion into company systems. Enea sees a possible, unproven link to Liminal Panda, but that does not establish shared operations.