simjacker

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  • AdaptiveMobile Security

    SIM-based attack has been used to spy on people for two years

    by 
    Jon Fingas
    Jon Fingas
    09.14.2019

    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.