What is SIM Swap Attack?

A SIM swap attack is an attack that involves taking control of a victim's SIM card, which stores private user data and a broad range of user access credentials. Attackers executing a SIM swap attack will oftentimes deploy a variety of social engineering techniques, such as calling a cell phone provider and impersonating the victim, with the goal of obtaining sensitive personal information about the victim. If successful, the attacker will typically use the information they acquired to request a new SIM card, which will allow them to gain control over the victim's phone number and whatever potentially sensitive data is linked to that number.