- Wireless account lock is now available for AT&T professional users
- Free functionality that can be switched to the Myat & T application
- The functionality prevents SIM exchange
AT&T has introduced new feature to protect accounts from consumers and businesses against SIM exchange attacks.
The wireless account lock will be able to deactivate several key account changes, a key element in the SIM exchange, which can give attackers control over a victim’s telephone number and allows them to intercept the two -factor -based authentication codes based on SMS.
“Locking requires an additional step before significant account changes can be made,” said AT&T about the new tool. “This prevents anyone from buying a device on the account, for example, or making a SIM exchange – to move a phone number to a SIM in another device.”
Malicious insiders and traced employees
Functionality is now available in the Myat & T application for postpayed consumption wireless accounts. There, users can activate or deactivate it, adding an additional step before you can upgrade a device, modify a SIM card or ESIM card, initiate a telephone number transfer, add a new line, change billing information, modify authorized users or modify telephone numbers.
For professional users, there is the locking of the commercial account and an AT&T wireless account locking with similar functions. For companies, account administrators can find the locking switch wherever they access the online account.
The opponents generally carry out SIM exchange attacks by deceiving or welding employees of mobile operators, or using stolen personal data to usurp the victim’s identity and convince the carrier to transfer the number to a SIM card they control.
Once successful, the attacker can reset passwords and regain sensitive accounts such as emails, banks or cryptographic wallets.
Although it may seem eccentric, these types of attacks happen all the time – more recently, Bitdefender reported that a stopover student at Société Générale had been arrested under the suspicion of having helped the crooks in the exchange of SIM.
Via Macrumors
