How to prevent your SIM card from being hacked

Cell phones hold so much of our private and financial data, it’s critical to protect our devices from potential security breaches. SIM cards are vulnerable to hacking attempts that try to steal stored data. It’s important to be proactive and implement preventive measures to ensure the security of your SIM card and safeguard your personal information.

This article will examine SIM hacking and its consequences, how to detect it, and practical techniques to keep your phone and personal data safe.

SIM card hacking refers to the process of accessing a user’s phone to control their SIM card and perform fraudulent activities. Hackers use a variety of schemes to hack SIM cards and gain control of the associated mobile phone number, allowing them to intercept phone calls, send messages, and even commit fraud. The hackers can then steal your identity and private information, such as email and social media accounts, and access your financial information.

SIM jacking is one method hackers use to hack your SIM card. In SIM jacking attacks, hackers send spyware code to a targeted device using a customized SMS message. This malicious spyware takes advantage of vulnerabilities in the SIM Application Toolkit (STK) software installed on the SIM card.

Once the user opens the message, hackers can exploit the code in the message to gain control of the SIM card, spy on the user’s calls and texts, and even track the user’s whereabouts.

Sim jacking uses the S@T Browser, a SIM Toolkit application included on many SIM cards. To exploit this application, the attacker asks the SIM card to obtain the IMEI and location information from the device through SIM Toolkit commands.

Once this information is collected, the SIM card orders the cell phone to transmit it to the attacker via another text message. In addition to geolocation tracking, the S@T Browser may force a device to browse a webpage or dial a phone number.

Another technique hackers use to hack SIM cards is SIM swapping. A SIM swap scam occurs when scammers take control of your phone number by deceiving your carrier into linking your phone number to a SIM card they own.

To get your information, scammers gather as much personal information about you as possible before engaging in social engineering.

If the hackers get enough of your personal details correct, your cell phone service provider will issue them a new SIM card and deactivate the old one. Once the scammers acquire the new SIM card, they can intercept all calls and messages, including any Two-Factor or Multi-Factor authentication texts. The deactivated SIM card will no longer be able to accept calls or texts and cannot transmit them.

Scammers can then use your phone number to contact your financial institutions, where they will be able to get any codes or password resets delivered to their phones through phone calls or texts from any of your accounts.

Hackers also use SIM cloning to hack SIM cards. This method is less common and involves physically gaining access to a SIM card and using a SIM card reader to replicate the data onto a blank SIM card.

The SIM card copying software copies your unique identifying number from your SIM card to a separate SIM card. The old card becomes inoperable when the duplicated SIM card is used in a new cell phone.

The hacker can now access all communication sent to your SIM card, just as they could with SIM swapping, so they have access to your authentication and verification codes. This allows them to get into your social media accounts, email addresses, credit cards, and bank accounts.

It’s important to ensure your phone’s security because hacked SIM cards have severe consequences for individuals and companies, including:

Identity theft is a form of fraud in which a person exploits another person’s personal information and identity for their gain. Scammers who steal your SIM card can commit identity theft by impersonating you and gaining access to other accounts that use your phone number for validation. Hackers can commit fraud or other criminal acts, such as scamming your contact list and threatening your trustworthiness and reputation.

An individual’s privacy can be jeopardized if their SIM card is compromised. Once hackers access your SIM card, they can monitor and intercept all incoming calls and text messages and access sensitive information, such as passwords and private communications. They can then use that information to scam or blackmail you.

Individuals may suffer financial losses as a result of SIM card hacking. Linked bank accounts are especially vulnerable because many financial services require user login authentication via SMS messages. A hacker with your phone number and authentication codes can move funds to their accounts and make unauthorized transactions.

If a hacker has access to your SIM card, they can gain access to any of your linked social media accounts. They can bypass 2FA and MFA authentication by intercepting SMS-based authentication codes to get into your email and social media accounts. Hacking your online accounts might allow them to send dangerous emails in your name or see and post messages in private conversations as you.

Whenever possible, employ an authenticator app rather than SMS for 2FA codes.
 

Learn more: Internet security tips to keep you secure

Hackers can use your SIM card to track your location through techniques like SIM jacking. The spyware code sent to your SIM card instructs the SIM card to take over the phone and can perform actions including tracking your geolocation.

In addition, some mobile applications rely on location monitoring to function. If a hacker has access to your SIM card, they may use it to track your whereabouts in real-time via your cellular data connection.

Once hackers have hacked your SIM card, they can use social engineering techniques to take advantage of the situation and gain additional control or access sensitive data. Hackers can impersonate you and call customer service representatives from your mobile service providers or financial institutions to get unauthorized access to your information or money.

The severity of the damage is determined by the hacker’s intentions and the information obtained through social engineering.

Understanding the warning signals of a potential security compromise on your SIM card is crucial for staying safe online.

Look for the following signs to identify whether your SIM card has been hacked or cloned.

One of the first signs that your SIM card is cloned is when you suddenly stop receiving calls and messages or cannot send them. Loss of connectivity can signify that an attacker has initiated a SIM swap, transferring your phone number to their new SIM card and blocking yours.

Your phone may detect that another device is using the SIM card that was assigned to it. When this occurs, certain phones ask users to restart the device. If you receive one of these notifications, contact your mobile carrier immediately to see if any SIM card ports have recently been authorized. You won’t be able to place phone calls or send text messages after the restarting process is completed.

One of the most obvious indications that you’ve been hacked is being locked out of your accounts. Hackers can use email phishing to deceive you into revealing your login credentials or personal information by sending emails that appear to be from your social media platforms or email provider.

If you begin receiving 2FA messages or password reset codes you did not request, this could indicate a cloned SIM card. Once the hackers access your authentication messages, they can change the passwords and lock you out of all your accounts.

You may not receive SMS authentication codes on your device if your phone number has been assigned to a new SIM. Your phone carrier will instead transmit those codes to the new device registered in your name.

Monitor your phone bill for any unexpected charges. Even if your smartphone no longer receives calls or messages, you might continue receiving phone charges. Check your phone records to see if there are any unidentified numbers and your bill for subscriptions you didn’t sign up for or extra data usage charges.