Cybersecurity experts suggest that using biometrics to solve a security problem may not solve the problem entirely, but it will certainly lead to more serious privacy concerns.
SIM Swapping EXPLAINED (+ How to Easily Avoid It)
South Africa has proposed collecting biometric information from people when they buy SIM cards in order to thwart SIM-swap attacks. In these attacks, scammers ask for replacement SIM cards that they use to intercept legitimate one-time passwords (OTPs) and authorize transactions. According to the FBI, these fraudulent transactions totaled more than $68 million in 2021. However, the privacy implications of South Africa’s proposal have not gone down well with experts.
“I understand the carriers that are looking for a way to stop the very real problem of SIM swapping,” Tim Helming, security evangelist at DomainTools, told Lifewire via email. “But I’m not convinced [collecting biometric information] is the right answer.”
Stephanie Benoit-Kurtz, a cybersecurity expert at the University of Phoenix, explained the dangers of SIM-swapping attacks. She said that with a hijacked SIM card, bad actors can hack into virtually all of your digital accounts, from emails to online banking.
