SIM cloning

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

SIM cloning consists of duplicating the GSM Subscriber Identity Module (a SIM card must be entered into a GSM phone in order for it to connect to a network, except for emergency 112 calls or 911 calls in the United States) identification and placing calls or using other charged serivces using the account of the cloned SIM.

In the early 1990s, due to poor security, cloning was more common than it is today. Cloning has now been rendered more challenging technically (as physical access to the SIM card is required as opposed to simply being within radio reach).

SIM cloning is now very difficult to perform, as merely duplicating the contents of the SIM does not enable a duplicate SIM to operate, as the SIM itself performs security operations on the data contained inside to thwart such copying.

SIM cloning is a great concern of security/police services as it renders GSM location-based service (LBS), and thus tracking, unreliable if more than one handset is using the same SIM.

In the movie The Bourne Supremacy, the main character clones a SIM card to enable him to impersonate a foreign agent. It is widely held that it would not be possible to clone a SIM as quickly as was done in the film.

The security has been improved with the newer generation of SIM cards to be used with 3GSM networks, known as USIMs. The new specification implements a new publicly announced algorithm (the KASUMI algorithm).