A sophisticated surveillance system named Altamides, developed by the company First Wap, is enabling covert, real-time tracking of mobile phones on a global scale. Operating from Jakarta, where permissive export laws have aided its growth, First Wap has built a powerful tool that stands apart from traditional spyware like Pegasus because it leaves no trace on the target’s device.

Unlike malware that requires a user to click a malicious link or infects a phone, Altamides is completely invisible to the user. There are no telltale signs of compromise, such as unusual battery drain or device overheating. This stealth is central to its design and effectiveness, allowing for persistent monitoring without alerting the target.

How Altamides Achieves Traceless Tracking

The secret behind Altamides lies in its exploitation of a legacy telecommunications protocol known as Signaling System No. 7 (SS7). SS7 is the foundational language used by phone carriers worldwide to route calls and text messages between networks. An essential function of this system is to query the network to find which cell tower a subscriber’s phone is connected to before establishing a call or delivering a message.

First Wap’s technology weaponizes this fundamental process. By gaining access to the SS7 network, Altamides can send constant location queries for specific phone numbers. This allows the system to pinpoint a user’s location by identifying the nearest cell tower, effectively turning the global telecom infrastructure into a tracking device.

A Global Operation with Minimal Oversight

According to promotional materials, the Altamides platform is designed to covertly locate individuals or groups, analyze their movement patterns, and even detect when different targets are physically near one another. The company’s client footprint is extensive, reportedly stretching from the Middle East to Silicon Valley.

This method of network-level surveillance poses a significant privacy challenge, as it operates entirely outside the user’s control and awareness. Because it targets the carrier network rather than the device itself, traditional mobile security measures are rendered ineffective against it, highlighting a critical vulnerability in global communications infrastructure.