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Apple no longer activates its proprietary SIM cards for iPads with cellular data
Apple no longer offers its own SIM card for cellular iPads. You'll need a carrier card or eSIM to connect.
Second SIM card attack can send texts and phone location data
Simjacker isn't the only SIM-based attack that could put phones at risk. Ginno Security Lab has detailed another exploit, WIBattack, that compromises the WIB (Wireless Internet Browser) app on some SIM cards to take control of key phone functions. Like its counterpart, WIBattack infects a phone through a carefully formatted SMS text that runs instructions on cards that don't have key security features enabled. If successful, the intruders can send texts, start calls, point your web browser to specific sties, display text and send location info.
SIM-based attack has been used to spy on people for two years
In a few cases,your SIM card may pose more of a security risk than your phone's software. AdaptiveMobile Security researchers say they've discovered a new vulnerability, nicknamed Simjacker, that's being used to surveil people's devices by an unnamed surveillance company. The technique sends SMS messages containing instructions for an old S@T Browser app supported on some carriers' SIM cards. Where S@T was originally intended to launch browsers, play sounds or otherwise trigger common actions on phones, Simjacker uses it to obtain location info and IMEI numbers that are later sent to an "accomplice device" (again using SMS) that records the data.
Try to court Colonel Sanders in KFC's dating sim
KFC does weird stuff all the time -- from a line of KFC-flavored nail polish to a chicken wing box that doubles as a drone. But it's really outdone itself this time. Today, a listing for a KFC dating game, I Love You, Colonel Sanders! A Finger Lickin' Good Dating Simulator, appeared on Steam. Created with the help of Psyop, the game is a work in progress, but KFC promises it will be "the most delicious dating simulator ever."
T-Mobile eSIMs are finally available for regular phone plans
You no longer have to settle for prepaid service if you're a T-Mobile customer hoping to use eSIM support. The carrier has expanded its eSIM support to allow use with postpaid (that is, regular) plans. You now don't have to be quite so picky when you're setting up a second line or freeing up your physical SIM slot for international cards.
How a trivial cell phone hack is ruining lives
On a Tuesday night in May, Sean Coonce was reading the news in bed when his phone dropped service. He chalked it up to tech being tech and went to sleep. When he woke up, his Gmail account had been stolen and by Wednesday evening he was out $100,000.
US charges nine people over $2.4 million SIM hijacking ring
American law enforcement just took down a significant SIM hijacking ring. Federal agents have charged nine men with wire fraud and identity theft charges for participating in The Community, a group that transferred phone numbers to SIM cards in their possession, used those to take control of online accounts (particularly those with two-factor authentication) and promptly stole cryptocurrency. The group has been accused of perpetrating seven attacks that stole more than $2.4 million in digital currencies from targets.
First person sentenced for SIM hijacking faces 10 years in prison
SIM card hijackers are starting to face the consequences of their actions. California college student Joel Ortiz has agreed to a plea deal that will have him serve 10 years in prison for stealing over $5 million in cryptocurrency through SIM swapping -- the first time someone has faced a sentence for the crime, authorities told Motherboard. Ortiz admitted to compromising about 40 victims through the technique, which typically involves making phony SIM swap requests and using the newly gained control to obtain logins that require two-factor authentication.
How to use your existing phone overseas
By Geoffrey Morrison This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full blog here.
Apple iPhone Xs will come with dual SIM capability
At Apple's fall event today, the iPhone Xs is certainly stealing the show, and not just for sharper screens and cameras. As rumors anticipated, the new devices will finally get eSIM technology, which had been available in iPads and Apple Watches but not the company's smartphones. That's not all: The Xs will also get the ability to juggle dual SIMs.
Police expose SIM card hijacking ring
There's a good chance you've had to ask your carrier for a SIM swap, whether it's to replace a faulty card or to switch to another size (say, from micro SIM to nano SIM). Crooks, however, are increasingly abusing those swaps to steal from unsuspecting cellphone users. Florida police have arrested Ricky Handschumacher on grand theft, money laundering and unauthorized computer access charges after law enforcement across the country discovered evidence of a fraud ring that relied on SIM hijacking.
Apple may include support for a second SIM card in new iPhones
Could Apple be planning on support for dual SIM cards with the new iPhone? It's possible. 9to5Mac was taking iOS 12 developer beta 5 out for a test drive and noticed something interesting in diagnostic report generation. There are clearly references to a "second SIM status."
NYT: AT&T, Verizon and GSMA are being investigated over eSIM
Everyone's favorite word "collusion" has arisen once again, as the New York Times cites multiple sources reporting that the Department of Justice is investigating AT&T, Verizon and the GSM Association (GSMA). According to the sources, the DoJ is looking for evidence that these parties worked together in an attempt to limit embedded SIM (eSIM) technology. While it's supposed to let customers switch wireless carriers without changing out hardware SIM cards, the allegation is that AT&T and Verizon, which combine to cover some 70 percent of wireless subscribers, wanted the ability to lock devices on their network even if they have an eSIM.
Switching mobile operators could soon begin with a text
Ofcom has introduced new rules that should make it easier to switch mobile networks in the UK. At the moment, cancelling a contract and setting up a new one is complicated and time consuming, especially if you want to keep your old number. You have to ring both providers, settle any outstanding debts and then try to wrangle a single switchover date — otherwise you're double-paying for a while, or going without a phone for a few days. To fix the problem, Ofcom is introducing an "auto-switch" system that forces providers to sort out the finer details on their own.
‘Session’ doesn’t care about your pro-skater high scores
There hasn't really been a good skateboarding game since Skate 3 in 2010. Don't even try to mention Tony Hawk 5, either: that game was awful. Session, an upcoming skateboarding simulation game by Crea-ture Studios, aims to change that with a neat-looking dual-stick title that focuses on using physics to pull off cool, realistic tricks. If funded, Session will be available for Xbox One and Steam — sorry PS4 fans, this one isn't for you.
'Project Cars 2' takes simulated driving to a whole new level
With the likes of Forza and Gran Turismo getting their share of stage time at the big E3 events, it can be easy to overlook some of the other options. Bandai Namco and Slightly Mad Studios' Project Cars is one of those, and the second installment of the franchise is set to arrive September 22nd. The duo is showing off the hyper-realistic racing sim here at E3, and it didn't take long to get wrapped up in the tracks of Project Cars 2.
Computex was a reminder that the age of the eSIM is upon us
Nestled inside your cellphone is a teensy sliver of plastic you almost certainly never think about. That's your SIM card -- the bit that basically stores your phone's identity and passes it along to whatever wireless carrier network you pay for. It's absolutely crucial to the way your phone operates, but wireless carriers and network companies have been plotting its demise for years. As far as they're all concerned, the future belongs to what's called an eSIM -- short for "embedded SIM" -- woven directly into the silicon fabric of a device's modem. Now, thanks to some crucial announcements made at Computex, we're getting a better sense of just how pervasive these things are going to be.
'Elite: Dangerous' finally beams onto PS4 in Q2 2017
Space adventure Elite: Dangerous is coming to the Playstation 4 in the second quarter next year, completing its gaming platform sweep. The trading and combat sim will have all the latest Horizon expansions, letting you tear around the surface of planets at up to 100mph using a Surface Recon Vehicle. The game is available on VR for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, but the Elite team unfortunately didn't mention Playstation VR support for the PS4 version -- at least, not yet.
Clever SIM sticker makes no-signal mobile payments possible
Mobile wallets aren't just for getting in and out of Starbucks that bit quicker. In several parts of the world, many people rely solely on mobile wallets for all their financial needs. These are particularly prevalent in Kenya, for example, where 58 percent of adults manage their money with mobiles. And we're not talking about smartphone apps and contactless payments here, but simpler systems like M-Pesa that work on feature phones and verify transactions via SMS messages. These are entirely reliant on the presence and performance of mobile networks, though, which a project called DigiTally is trying to address with a SIM sticker that lets users make and receive payments when there's no network connection whatsoever.
UK grants new powers to remotely block illegal prison mobiles
Mobile phones have to be one of the most valuable kinds of prison contraband, where they're used for keeping in touch with loved ones all the way through to running criminal empires from behind bars. According to the UK government, close to 15,000 handsets and SIM cards were confiscated last year alone. But thanks to new powers granted to prison and police officers, they can now be disconnected remotely, removing the need to physically find the things to take them out of circulation.
