US Govt Has Made New Security Rules That Could Prevent SIM-Swapping Attacks: All Details

SIM Swapping attacks have become a serious concern, not only in India but across the globe. And everyone realises the need to prevent these attacks which makes it hard for the victim to get an alert when their own phone number is duplicated and used without their knowledge or consent.

Thankfully, work has already started in this regard, and the US government is heavily involved with its supposed plan to prevent these attacks. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has come out with new rules that can help people avoid falling for SIM swapping tricks and secure their number with further authentication.

The biggest problem with SIM swaps is that the hacker gets access to confidential details like OTPs which renders two-factor authentication completely moot. So what are the new rules from the FCC that will look to thwart the threat of these attacks?

As per reports, the federal body wants the mobile carriers to alert customers when they receive a SIM charge or port-out request. Now, the issue is here that the alerts are likely to be made through the primary number, which the attacker can already access.

“We require wireless carriers to give subscribers more control over their accounts and provide notice to consumers whenever there is a SIM transfer request, in order to protect against fraudulent requests made by bad actors," Jessica Rosenworcel, Chairwoman, FCC has been quoted in the statement.

Going by these terms, It is likely that the operators can use any secondary contact number to inform the customers about the changes and we’re hoping that is the new practice to follow.

It does sound like a clever idea to prevent SIM swap maneuvers and if it does succeed in reducing attacks then telecom authorities in other countries should also devise such rules and make it mandatory for telcos to implement a more robust mechanism that is used to issue a duplicate SIM or even port out to another operator. After all, many people have lost to the tune of crores in India this year itself courtesy the SIM-swap attacks.