GlossaryIntermediate
SIM Swap
An attack where someone transfers your phone number to their device to intercept codes.
A SIM swap is an attack where someone tricks or convinces a mobile carrier into transferring a victim's phone number to a SIM card the attacker controls, often through social engineering.
Once successful, the attacker can receive text messages intended for the victim, including one-time codes used for account recovery or text-based two-factor authentication.
Examples
- A SIM swap can let an attacker bypass text-message-based two-factor authentication on an exchange account.
- Using an authenticator app instead of text messages reduces exposure to SIM swap attacks.