Hacking is criminal and a simjacker has the potential to spy on your phone without your knowledge. It can access valuable information that should not be made available to unauthorized persons
Data security is turning into a huge concern from big corporate institutions to government to individuals. With the increased access to smart devices, new technologies that are continually improving and allowing us to keep in touch with each other and global access to the internet, this concern cannot be stressed enough.
One of the major device security that has escaped scrutiny for a long time is the mobile phone. Most major hacks in the news are about computer hacks or government leaks or even how your banking and emailing services data has been compromised. Imagine a situation where the mobile data was compromised and the data used to access valuable personal information such as your location. How much spread and effect would it have on a global scale?
This is no longer a matter of imagination again as discovered by a mobile carrier security company called ActiveMobile Security. This means that billions of people who use their mobile devices daily are now on the path of destruction for hacking. They are now more exposed than before and these cases will only get worse.
Technological hack dates back to the year 2011
The company was able to show that what it refers to as Simjacking has potential to spy on your phone without your knowledge. It can access valuable information that should not be made available to unauthorized persons. It found out that this technological hack dates back to the year 2011 and has been in use.
The most disturbing part of this discovery is the fact that no alerts or notifications are displayed that your information has been compromised if attacked, you are more than likely to never know what happened to your personal information.
The hack works by using a browser that is installed by default to sim cards. These browsers are called S@T Browser and they are commonly used by a service provider to forward promotional messages and other information that the providers may need to query personal information of their users. The browser is found in all sim cards meaning that there are billions of people already using this browser.
The hackers use this browser to process invisible requests such as International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) and location data. Armed with this information, a hacker pretty much can control your device.
To understand the magnitude of this discovery by AdaptiveMobile technologies, you only need to think of high profile individuals who may be victims of such attacks. You also need to consider how governments can use such technologies to track you and also access personal phone conversations. These concerns are valid and alarming and show just how far such a hack can have negative effect on society.
This shows us the vulnerability is in our phones and that needs fixing as soon as possible. It also passes the mantle to service providers to ensure that they strengthen their security to protect their customers.
