phy1729/rayhunter

Rayhunter is a tool that helps you detect when someone is using a cell-site simulator, also known as a "stingray," to spy on your phone's cellular activity. These are devices that pretend to be legitimate cell towers to trick your phone into connecting to them, allowing whoever operates the device to monitor your location, calls, and data. It runs on an affordable mobile hotspot called the Orbic RC400L, and community contributions have expanded support to some other devices as well. The project is designed to be straightforward to install and use, regardless of your technical background. It focuses on minimizing false positives, meaning it aims to alert you only when there is a genuine reason to suspect surveillance rather than crying wolf at normal network activity. This would be useful for journalists, activists, organizers, or anyone concerned they may be targeted by surveillance tools that mimic cell towers. For example, a reporter covering a sensitive story could run this on a personal hotspot to get early warning if a stingray is active in the area. The tool was built by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a digital rights organization, which gives it credibility as a privacy-focused project. The README does not go into technical detail on how the detection actually works under the hood, but it links to a broader guide and an introductory blog post for those who want to understand the mechanism and the broader landscape of cellular surveillance. It also includes a legal disclaimer noting that while the EFF believes running the tool does not violate US laws, users outside the US should consult a local attorney to assess any legal risk.