AdaptiveMobile Security research says that hackers are using Simjacker Vulnerability to spy on mobile phone users across the world. As the exploit involves the hijacking of SIM cards it has been given the name as such.
What exactly is Simjacker?
It is a kind of software exploits which helps track down the mobile location of users about various mobile carriers through malicious SMS messages.
Who is behind such malicious campaign?
Mobile security researchers from AdaptiveMobile LTD has said that Simjacker might be the work of a foreign nation which is trying to conduct espionage on a set of individuals working for governments, politics and business field.
“Simjacker is a potential cyber threat to all mobile operators and subscribers across the globe,” says Cathal McDaid, CTO, AdaptiveMobile Security.
While espionage by collecting location data of users happens to be one vector of Simjacker. Researchers argue that the exploit can also be used to launch multiple levels of cyberattacks such as frauds, scam calls, data leak, denial of service attacks/DDoS and phishing.
The threat intelligence analysts of the Dublin based company say that the developers of Simjacker have devised the exploit in such a way that it can be used for years to victimize mobile phone users from across the world.
AdaptiveMobile LTD study specified in its security report that so far over 1 billion mobile phone users could have been impacted by the potential vulnerability. And all those mobile carriers using physical sim card tech are said to be vulnerable to Simjacker and this includes those telecom companies operating in countries like South America, North America, West Africa, Europe, Middle East and some parts of Asia.
