March 15, 2024 at 11:29AM
Former telecom manager in New Jersey pleads guilty to conspiracy charges for unauthorized SIM swaps enabling hacking of customer accounts. SIM swaps involve porting a person’s phone number without authorization. The swaps aim to receive SMS-based one-time passwords for account takeovers. Telecom providers have since implemented measures to prevent such events. The manager abused his position to perform unauthorized number ports, facing up to five years in prison.
Based on the meeting notes, it appears that a former manager at a telecommunications company in New Jersey, Jonathan Katz, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges involving unauthorized SIM swaps to facilitate hacking of customer accounts.
SIM swapping involves porting a targeted person’s phone number to another SIM card controlled by the attacker, often through social engineering attacks or insider manipulation at mobile companies. This allows attackers to intercept SMS-based one-time passwords for account authentication and gain unauthorized access to the target’s accounts.
Telecom service providers have implemented measures to prevent unauthorized number porting, but Katz, using his managerial position and privileged account, overcame security measures to perform unauthorized number ports between May 10 and 20, 2021. This facilitated his accomplice in hijacking victims’ mobile phone numbers and gaining access to their accounts, including email, social media, and cryptocurrency wallets.
Katz received payments in Bitcoin for each unauthorized SIM swap and faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a significant fine. His sentencing is scheduled for July 16, 2024.