Millions of Sim cards are 'vulnerable to hack attack'

A flaw with
mobile phones'
Sim card
technology is
putting millions
of people at risk
of being spied
on and robbed,
according to a
leading security
expert.
Karsten Nohl has
said he has found
a way to discover some Sims' digital keys
by sending them a special text message.
He warned criminals could potentially
use the technique to listen in on calls or
steal cash.
Industry organisation - the GSMA - said it
was looking into the findings.
"Karsten's early disclosure to the GSMA
has given us an opportunity for
preliminary analysis," said a
spokeswoman for the association, which
represents global network operators,
"We have been able to consider the
implications and provide guidance to
those network operators and Sim
vendors that may be impacted.
"It would appear that a minority of Sims
produced against older standards could
be vulnerable."
Mr Nohl has posted preliminary details
of the vulnerability on the website of his
company, Berlin-based Security Research
Labs.
Intercepted calls
Sim (subscriber identity module) cards
effectively act as a security token,
authenticating a user's identity with their
network operator.
They also store a limited amount of data
such as text messages, contacts'
telephone numbers and details used for
some applications - including a number of
payment and banking services.