SIM swap horror story: I've lost decades of data and Google won't help

Post by rodolphoarruda » Mon, Jun 17, 2019, 5:44 PM UTC

rikkus wrote: post #200

8ytecoder wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why I panicked when they announced they won't sync Google Photos with Google Drive anymore. With the sync, I can setup one of my computers to constantly download the photos and then copy it onto a local backup and an online backup. If my Google Account gets locked - I'll just copy the photos into something else and move on with my life. They removed that saying it's confusing to users - all the while it was a…

Would you mind elaborating on your iCloud setup to handle this please?

Post by Zancarius » Mon, Jun 17, 2019, 5:47 PM UTC

bArray wrote: post #144

Why is it that the most dramatic stories of people's digital lives being lost/broken usually seem to revolve around a compromised mobile phone number? Mobile phone numbers are not unique (they are recycled) and are terrible security (mobile phone companies are careless). I change mobile numbers at least once a year and most years I end up receiving calls/messages on behalf of the previous owner. I refuse to connect m…

Post by dev_dull » Mon, Jun 17, 2019, 5:50 PM UTC

throw0101a wrote: post #183

dev_dull wrote: post #168

> It turns out that the 2FA with text messaging sent to a cell phone may be useless when hackers steal your SIM right out from under you. The most annoying part about this is that Twitter demands your phone number. You can't use another method for 2FA, such as U2F or OTP. I assume it's not at all because they want to authorize you or keep your account safe, but rather because they want to be able to identify you. Use…

> You can't use another method [with Twitter] for 2FA, such as U2F or OTP. Are you sure? * https://www.yubico.com/works-with-yubikey/catalog/twitter/

Post by zyx321 » Mon, Jun 17, 2019, 5:51 PM UTC

r1ch wrote: post #126

sdinsn wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Phones' PINs aren't connected to SIMs. I have to enter my PIN on reboot, even if I removed my SIM. Putting the SIM in a phone without a PIN results in nothing being required. Edit: Thanks for correcting me- I guess my SIM does not have a PIN.

SIM cards themselves can have a PIN attached to them too, usually with a lockout after 3 unsuccessful attempts. The card is supposed to be secure against tampering, but since it's running an OS which receives very little scrutiny and runs lots of legacy tech, there are likely all kinds of exploits to reset / root the SIM and bypass any PIN protection. It's still useful against casual theft though.

Post by zyx321 » Mon, Jun 17, 2019, 5:53 PM UTC

3JPLW wrote: post #134

zyx321 wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How did they get your 4-digit PIN? Don't you have to enter it on every reboot?

SIM PINs aren't enabled by default on iPhones and are independent of your device lock code.