SIM Swap: Hijacking the Rising Menace and How to Protect Yourself

Our smartphones are more than just communication devices. They are gateways to our personal and financial information, making them prime targets for cybercriminals. One particularly insidious method they use is the SIM Swap attack.

A SIM Swap attack, or SIM hijacking, occurs when a cyber criminal tricks your mobile carrier into transferring your phone number to a SIM card they control. Once they control your phone number, they can intercept calls and text messages, including those used for multi-factor authentication (MFA). Once hackers can access your apps and bypass MFA, they access your online accounts like email, banking, and social media profiles.

How Does a SIM Swap Attack Work?

Gathering Information: The attacker collects personal information about the victim, often through phishing emails, social engineering, or data breaches.

Contacting the Carrier: The attacker, posing as the victim, contacts the victim’s mobile carrier and uses the gathered information to convince the carrier to transfer the victim’s phone number to a new SIM card.

Gaining Access: Once the phone number is transferred, the attacker can receive all calls and texts meant for the victim, including MFA codes. This allows them to reset passwords and gain access to the victim’s accounts.

SIM Swap attacks are dangerous…but you are not defenseless against them!

Protect Your Accounts from SIM Swaps:

Start to defend your accounts today proactively.

1. Ensure that your online accounts have strong, unique passwords. Avoid referencing something guessable, like your pet’s name or favorite sports team. (Go Bills!) Instead, choose at least 12 random combinations of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols that will be much more difficult to guess. Choose different passwords for each new account; you can use a password manager to keep all your credentials organized and secure.
2. While we still recommend using MFA whenever possible, you should opt for verification methods other than one-time passcodes or one-click approval. Biometrics like your thumbprint or face ID, an app-based authentication like Authy, can only be verified by you and are thus much more secure.
3. For extremely sensitive accounts, like those tied to your smartphone carrier, you should consider contacting the provider to set up a PIN or password before authorizing any changes.
4. To be extra safe, you should regularly check your bank statements, credit reports, and online accounts for suspicious activity. Early detection can help mitigate damage. That’s why you should consider security solutions like ours, which protect against malware and other threats!

How to React in a SIM Swap Attack:

If you suspect that you are a victim of a SIM Swap attack, act quickly and calmly. You should already have an incident response plan that tells you what to do in an emergency, including which superiors to contact.

However, because they target mobile devices, this type of attack also compromises personal devices, such as cell phones and home computers.

1. Contact Your Carrier: Immediately contact your mobile carrier to regain control of your phone number.
2. Change Your Passwords: Change the passwords for your online accounts, especially those linked to your phone number.
3. Enable MFA: Ensure that MFA is enabled on your accounts, prioritizing app-based and biometric authentication.
4. Monitor Your Accounts: Keep a close eye on your financial and online accounts for unauthorized activity.

By staying informed and taking proactive measures, you can significantly reduce the risk of being victim to a SIM Swap attack. Education and watchfulness are critical to maintaining security against evolving cyber threats!

At Commonwealth Sentinel, we can evaluate your existing IT security and work with your team to improve it. We can also provide a complete source of services. At Commonwealth Sentinel, we stay focused on cyber security so you can focus on other things. Contact us today or sign up for a free consultation.

At Commonwealth Sentinel, we stay focused on cyber security so you can focus on other things.