A SIM card, or Subscriber Identity Module is a familiar element of a mobile phone. It can be easily swapped or replaced, yet, it was not born at the same time as the cellular phone. The first mobile phones used to support only \u2019embedded\u2019 communication standards: the subscription parameters were hard-coded into the mobile terminal\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n
The oldest analogue standards like\u00a0NMT-450<\/a>\u00a0did not employ any means of security: the subscription data could be copied into another device and cloned, making it possible to call and accept calls on the rightful owner\u2019s behalf, free of charge.<\/p>\n The first means of security, which was invented a bit later, was the so called Subscriber Identity Security (SIS) code \u2014 an 18-digit number which was unique to a device and hard-coded into an application processor. SIS codes used to be evenly distributed among the vendors so two devices could not share the same SIS code. The processor also stored a 7-digit RID code which was transmitted to a base station when a subscriber registered to a cellular network.<\/p>\n Weak Link: How to lose everything having lost your #SIM<\/a>-card https:\/\/t.co\/wha5ECQP6A<\/a> #security<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ykU4j1mbvI<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Kaspersky (@kaspersky) November 18, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n