Tuesday, December 23, 2008

SIM CLONING

A friend of mine was holding his mobile bill. He was quite puzzled about the billing amount. He told me that the bill was almost thrice the no. of calls he did. He didn’t know anything about sim cloning. I helped him out and told him to launch an FIR in police. He did so and the culprit was caught very soon.

 
Very less people know about sim cloning. If you are one of them, then just rub your eyes and read out this article thoroughly.

WHAT IS ‘SIM CLONING’?
Sim cloning is a technique with the help of which one can get a duplicate or clone connection of a sim. Well this cloned sim can really be a boon if used properly and legally.

There is a device named sim card reader which can read all the data on a sim card using software. This software is quite easily available even in India. Cost of the software range from 3000 to 5000. After reading the data, it can be transferred to another sim in just few hours and the cloned sim is ready.
This cloned sim can act as a backup in case your original sim is lost or damaged.

DRAWBACKS
Well as everything comes with uses as well as abuses, this one is no different. Hackers have already started exploiting this technology. It is the latest business for them. With this cloned sim one can call or sms any one and the billing amount will be on the original sim bearer. This cloned sim can also let you hear and tap the phone calls made on original sim.

Till now mobile operators have nothing as such to control sim cloning. Police is also unable to do anything in this matter. They cannot take any action till complaint is filed by any customer.


HOW TO CONTROL?
In the late 1990s, due to poor security, cloning was more common than it is today. Cloning has now been rendered more challenging technically, since physical access to the SIM card is now required, contrary to simply being within radio reach.
SIM cloning is now more difficult to perform, because merely duplicating the contents of the SIM does not enable a duplicate SIM to operate, since the SIM itself performs security operations on the data contained inside to avoid such copying. In order to function, the cloned SIM needs to perform security operations on the data contained, just like the 'original' one.
SIM cloning is a great concern to security/police services since it renders GSM location based system (LBS) unreliable when more than one handset uses the same SIM.
At present sim cloning is not under control. But efforts are being made to develop software which will immediately tell the original sim bearer that his sim is cloned and is illegally used, so that he can take any action. Devices which can patrol IMEI no. of mobile and detect cloned sim are also under construction. It will tell the sim bearer if IMEI no. gets changed. Both these ways are not that efficient and cyber criminals would easily beat them.

SIM CARD CLONING BUISNESS GROWING HUGELY
 SIM card cloning appears to have become a fast growing business not only in the Capital but also in other parts of the country where mobile phones are in use.
With the unearthing of such a novel modus operandi, mobile phone operators are puzzled on how to counter this menace. The problem is that the equipment required to clone SIM cards are readily available in the market. Despite the fact that the SIM cards they issue cannot be tampered with, they cannot stop their cloning as the culprits use blank cards which are normally used for manufacturing smartcards by various companies and are thus available in the open market. 
Secondly, it does not require much expertise to clone the SIM cards as the entire process is carried out automatically using SIM reader and particular computer software that can be obtained from computer-ware markets here and also from countries like Singapore, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia. Consequently, the police feel that it would be very difficult to curb SIM card cloning until a technique is developed to instantly identify the SIM cards whose copies have been made and genuine cardholders informed.
As we all know ‘prevention is better than cure’. So, why let your sim get cloned and think of a backup. Never let anyone know your sim card no. and you are safe. What will be even safer, never give your mobile to anyone. Lastly what I advice you is only learn the positives of the sim cloning in detail and not the negatives.

  THANKS 

SUBMITTED BY:
PUNEET PANDITA