On top of this, the problem is rarely consistent. One carrier can have different vulnerabilities on two pieces of networking equipment, while one piece of network gear can have create headaches on two separate carriers.

The research team plans to officially present its findings at a conference in May, and they're sharing their tool with carriers and device makers (but not the public, for obvious reasons) to help them spot vulnerabilities and develop fixes. These flaws won't necessarily be exploitable as a result. Even so, they serve as a reminder that even the wireless standards you take for granted aren't airtight.