SIM CARD CLONING EXPLAINED !

What Is Sim Cloning ?

Sim cloning is the process in which, cloning a original/real SIM card to create/generate duplicate/carbon copy SIM card without the knowledge of individual mobile subscriber/customer. When this process is completed then the cloned SIM card’s identifying the information is transferred to a separate secondary SIM card. The secondary card used in different phone  while having all calls & associated charges attributed to the original or prime SIM-card. The following phase defines “how to do SIM cloning”:

HOW TO DO SIM CLONING ?

We have two-networks in our cell phones: GSM & CDMA. This network offers good call-quality & other technical-features, which separates both the networks from each other. In CDMA mobile phones, cloning is achieved by changing the ESN (Electronic-Serial-Number) with the help of software’s. This number is transmitted to the telecom-company in order to authenticate any cell phone onto the network. In GSM mobile phones contains IMEI number (International Mobile Equipment Identity) instead of ESN number, which means that fraudster have to get IMEI number in order to clone original SIM card to create duplicate one. Not every SIM card is clone able, there are two-types of SIM cards: COMP 128 v1– this is most popular & clone able version of SIM card. COMP 128 v2 – The new SIM’s, capable of better 3G, video-call support, secure/safe firmware, complicated-design.

Remote Sim Cloning

Retrieving information from the SIM remotely is very hard process & this process is done by the professional hackers with expensive tools. The SIM applications is secured by encryption-keys & this key can cracked by using ‘Over The Air (OTA)’ commands, sent to the SIM card’s Java Runtime engine. The OTA-commands are secured-sms messages, which directly delivered to the SIM. In order to derive or get a DES OTA-Key, attacker can start this process by sending binary-SMS to target-device. It responds to the attacker with error-code which carrying cryptographic-signature. The cracked-DES enables the attacker to send a binary SMS, which can download the Java-Applets to the SIM. Applets are allowed to send SMS, change voicemail numbers, & access the phone location.

GSM Sim Cloning 

Cloning of GSM mobile phones is accessed by cloning the SIM-card, which contained or implied within it, but not necessarily any of the phone’s internal data. GSM- mobile phones do not containESN or –MIN, only an IMEI (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity) number & there are various methods used in order to get the IMEI & MIN. GSM SIM-card is copied by removing the SIM –card & placing or applying a device between the handset & the SIM-card & allowing it to operate for few days and extracting KI, or you can say secret-code. This process is done/complete with those handsets, which have the option of “extended battery”.