The hacks are the order of the day, and many of them are specialized manner against a specific target, such as companies or people of high power or influence. Now, a group of ten hackers have been arrested following an international operation in which a network that targeted famous people using SIM Swapping attacks has been dismantled .
SIM Swapping is the technique that consists of creating a duplicate of a person’s SIM card by pretending to be it by calling, for example, the operator. Knowing all the personal data of that person, such as telephone number, address, full name and identity number, a duplicate SIM card can be generated to steal the phone number.
Influencers, athletes and musicians, among the main victims
Doing this kind of attack on an ordinary person is difficult to monetize, but doing it on a celebrity can have dire consequences. These types of attackers targeted Internet influencers, sports stars, musicians, and members of their families.
The investigation had been carried out for a year with the collaboration of the authorities of the United Kingdom, United States, Belgium, Malta and Canada . On February 9, there were eight arrests, after having arrested two other people in Malta and Belgium, who belonged to the same criminal network. In total, Europol estimates that they managed to steal more than $ 100 million , including cash and cryptocurrencies. Those arrested were between 18 and 26 years old , with the last eight arrests all in the UK (all in England and Scotland). Those attacked were mainly residents of the United States, which is where the largest number of celebrities are.
By stealing their phone number, the attackers had access to two-step verification, and could receive SMS codes to change the passwords of the accounts they used. Among those accounts were several payment platforms, and even cryptocurrency exchange portals. They also managed to get hold of email, from which they could now take control of any user account.
Avoid posting personal data on the Internet
To prevent these attacks, Europol gives five key tips. The first is to have the devices that we use always updated with the latest version to prevent them from spying on us through vulnerabilities. The second is that we do not respond to suspicious emails or calls; especially if they ask us for too much personal information. Limiting the amount of personal information we post on the Internet is also key. If we can avoid giving our real phone number, the better, as well as using two-step verification that does not use SMS sending, but authentication applications like Google Authenticator. Going forward, with eSIM cards it will be easier to avoid such attacks.
