SIM swap
An attack where a criminal has the victim's mobile number transferred to their own SIM card – to intercept SMS codes.
In a SIM swap, a criminal convinces the mobile carrier to transfer the victim's number to a new SIM card – often with social engineering and stolen identity data. Once the number is ported, the attacker intercepts SMS-based 2FA codes and takes over accounts.
Protection: use app-based 2FA (TOTP) instead of SMS; with Swiss carriers, enable a PIN for your account.
Why this matters in 2026
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How to protect yourself
A current operating system, an up-to-date antivirus suite, strong unique passwords (use a password manager) and two-factor authentication on all important accounts already cover the vast majority of real-world risk. Detailed guides: see our How-To section.