The Iranian government has reportedly exploited vulnerabilities in global telecoms infrastructure to locate U.S. military personnel during the run-up and early stages of the Iran War, according to a Financial Times report.

By exploiting Signaling System 7 (SS7), a protocol used for connecting phone networks worldwide, Tehran was able to track the movements of American forces in Iraq, Bahrain, and other Middle Eastern countries. This technique allowed Iranian-backed militias to strike with surprising precision, leading to several injuries.

In addition to this sophisticated tech hack, Iran also abused common advertising technology to serve targeted ads, revealing another layer of everyday surveillance methods being used for state espionage.

This shows how even the most mundane technologies can be weaponized in the modern conflict landscape, making our phones as much a battlefield tool as a communication device.