explanation of how the SIM card is hacked and how to protect it from Simjacker SMS and SIM swap

security vulnerabilities, but it is possible that the phone chip or what is known as (SIM card) in your phone is a source of security vulnerabilities as well.
When focusing a bit on recent cyberattacks; We will find that most of them target smart phones, starting from targeting operating systems, through application stores, and even targeting SIM cards, in which the phone number is exploited to control the devices and accounts associated with it.
Today we're going to go over some of the ways hackers can exploit SIM cards to gain access to devices, and how to keep them secure:
There are two ways, the first is called Simjacker SMS and the second is SIM SWAP
1- Simjacker hack:
The attackers send an SMS text message to your phone that contains a specific type of code similar to spyware, if you open it, it will give instructions to the calling card to take control of the device to carry out some commands such as: spying on calls, messages, and even tracking the geographical location.
Most SIM cards released since the early 2000s, including eSIMs, have a carrier menu. This menu includes tasks such as checking balance, recharging, and technical support.
This menu is basically an application - or more precisely a number of applications with the generic name SIM Toolkit, which is better known as STK - but this software does not run on the phone itself, but on the SIM card.
One of the applications included in the STK is called S@T Browser, which is used to display web pages in a certain format and pages on the carrier's intranet, for example: it can provide information about your balance.
The problem with the app is that it hasn't been updated since 2009, and although on modern devices its functions are performed by other software, it's still actively used, or at least still installed on hundreds of millions of SIM cards.
The researchers confirm that this vulnerability was developed by a private company. Since the SimJacker hack does not depend on the operating system; All types of phones are at risk, including Android devices and iPhones.
This application is used by more than a billion people in less than 30 countries who use it, mainly in the Middle East, Asia, North Africa and Eastern Europe.
To protect your phone, you can contact your carrier and verify that they use network filters that block SimJacker SMS messages.
2- Swap the SIM card:
SIM swapping scams - or what is known in the competent circles as SIM swap, or SIM splitting - which is basically a social engineering scam in which a phone number happens to the hacker's device to take control of all your accounts linked to it.
In order to perform a SIM swap, the hacker first contacts your service provider, pretending to be you, and requests a replacement SIM card. They'll say they want to upgrade to a new device and therefore need a new SIM card, then they can steal your phone number and link it to their own device.
Once the process is done; Your physical SIM card will be deactivated by your provider and will stop working. From here, the hacker will be able to control the phone calls, messages, and two-factor authentication requests that are sent to your phone number. This means that they could have enough information to access your bank accounts, email, and more.
How can you secure your SIM card:
1- Preservation of personal data:
To protect against your SIM card being swapped, finding information about you must be difficult for hackers. Hackers will use data they find about you online such as: date of birth, last names, and your address to convince customer service that the caller is you, so be careful not to share your personal data in Everywhere on the internet.
Another way to protect against SIM swapping is to beware of phishing tactics. Hackers may try to contact you and trick you into getting more information that they can use to copy your SIM card, so don't give all your personal data to a stranger who contacts you.
2- Add a PIN code to the card:
To protect against SIM attacks, you should also provide some protection to your SIM card, and the most important security measure you can implement is to add a PIN to your SIM card. This way if anyone wants to make changes to your card, they need your PIN.
But before you set up a SIM lock, you should make sure that you know the PIN given to you by your network provider. Then go to the SIM card settings on your phone, and activate its code lock.
www.androidpol...
Another source in Arabic
me.kaspersky.c...
The most prominent ways to hack the SIM card and how to protect against it
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SIM Jacking
• SIM Jacking - Security...