If they do that, they will unwittingly transfer control of the victim’s phone number to the attacker. Let’s take a closer look at SIM-based attacks - more specifically, SIM swaps and SIM cloning.Ī SIM swapping attack works by convincing call center representatives working for a mobile phone provider to port a phone number to a new device. These attacks are usually targeted and high-value, and victims are often left out of pocket or left to discover that all their accounts have been taken over by a cybercr iminal. If they manage to obtain their target’s SIM card, they can take over those codes and use them to impersonate the victim, log in to their accounts and perform transactions in their name. Nowadays, with a large variety of service providers opting to send their customers SMS messages as a second factor of authentication to their online accounts, SIM cards have become a choke point for hackers to prey on.
That includes receiving your phone calls and SMS messages. What happens when someone else has your SIM? Just as you would insert your SIM into a new device (or when changing devices for any other reason), anyone with access to your SIM can connect to your phone number and receive all the services you would receive from your mobile carrier. SIM cards, which are smart cards inserted into a phone for the purposes of identifying it on a cellular network, store data and help identify and serve the subscriber who owns the device. SIM swapping and SIM cloning are two distinct methods by which a third party can attempt to compromise a mobile phone, both aiming to duplicate its subscriber identification module card. IBM X-Force Incident Response and Intelligence Services (IRIS)’s findings from dark web research also reveal attackers’ interest in carrying out these types of attacks. Recent news involving high-profile individuals - such as reports of a CEO falling victim to SIM swapping schemes and the infamous TrickBot Trojan adding a feature to aid in carrying out SIM-swap fraud - is drawing increasing attention to these mobile cybersecurity threats. It’s no wonder attackers are targeting the mobile phone market.Ĭoncern is growing about subscriber identification module (SIM) swapping and SIM cloning attacks.
A staggering 67 percent of the population has some kind of mobile device, and research suggests the average person spends five hours a day on their phone - about a third of the time the average person is awake. According to Bank My Cell, as of August 2019, there are more than 5 billion mobile devices worldwide. The most commonly used computer platform nowadays is no longer a desktop or a laptop - it’s a phone.
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