It’s 2025, and cellular phone numbers are ubiquitous. We use our cellphone numbers to enroll in web sites and on-line providers, from retail and banking to social media and well being suppliers. You should utilize your cellphone quantity to reset a forgotten password, and even for receiving two-factor authentication codes for securely logging in to your accounts.
But when somebody can steal your cellphone quantity, they’ll successfully develop into you.
Along with your cellphone quantity, a hacker can begin having access to your on-line accounts, and even trick automated techniques into considering they’re you when calling customer support. A hijacked cellphone quantity can typically be used to entry an organization’s community as in the event that they had been that worker, permitting entry to delicate information and information.
That is all of the extra cause to proactively defend your cellphone quantity from SIM swapping, a kind of cyberattack that entails a hacker hijacking a sufferer’s cellphone quantity. The excellent news is that it’s simpler than it’s ever been to lock down your quantity.
SIM swapping assaults often occur when a malicious hacker calls up a cell service impersonating a particular buyer. This hacker would use data they discovered on-line, akin to a buyer’s identify and date of start, after which ask a buyer assist consultant to switch or “port out” that quantity to a unique SIM card or service. As quickly as that course of completes, the particular person’s cellphone quantity will activate on a SIM card or cellphone managed by the hacker, permitting them to make calls and ship and obtain textual content messages as in the event that they had been the particular person they simply hacked.
Oftentimes, the one signal that this has occurred is that if the sufferer all of a sudden loses cell service for seemingly no cause.
SIM swap assaults exploit a weak spot within the safety controls inside a cell suppliers’ inside techniques that permit assist representatives make adjustments to buyer accounts with out essentially getting the shopper’s specific permission.
To fight these sorts of impersonation and deception techniques, often known as social engineering assaults, three main cellphone carriers in the USA — AT&T, T-Cellular and Verizon — have launched safety features that make it tougher for malicious hackers to deceptively get a buyer’s account modified, akin to porting out their cellphone quantity.
Take a minute or two to verify your cellphone service’s account; these options are sometimes not publicized very properly and is probably not enabled by default.
AT&T
In July, AT&T introduced its free Wireless Account Lock security feature to assist forestall SIM swaps. The characteristic permits AT&T prospects so as to add additional account safety by toggling on a setting that stops anybody from transferring a SIM card or cellphone quantity to a different gadget or account. The characteristic could be switched on through AT&T’s app or by way of its on-line account portal by anybody who manages the account, so be sure that account is protected with a novel password and multi-factor authentication.
T-Cellular
T-Cellular permits prospects to prevent SIM swaps and block unauthorized number port outs free of charge by way of their T-Cellular on-line account. The first account holder must log in to vary to the setting, akin to switching it on or off.
Verizon
Verizon has two safety features known as SIM Protection and Number Lock, which respectively forestall SIM swaps and cellphone quantity transfers. Each of those options could be turned on through the Verizon app and thru the net account portal by an account’s proprietor or supervisor. Verizon says that switching off the characteristic might lead to a 15-minute delay earlier than any transactions could be carried out — one other safeguard to permit the authentic account holder to reverse any account adjustments.