Gemalto today said a preliminary assessment of its SIM cards suggests they are secure against the spying efforts of the U.S. NSA and U.K. GCHQ.
“Initial conclusions already indicate that Gemalto SIM products (as well as banking cards, passports and other products and platforms) are secure and the company doesn’t expect to endure a significant financial prejudice,” said Gemalto in a statement on its web site. However, the company will continue to investigate the matter thoroughly so it can understand how the hacks were completed. It will provide more details in a press conference on Wednesday.
Last week, The Intercept reported that the American and British spy agencies broke into Gemalto’s computer system and stole the encryption keys for an unknown number of SIM cards. Possession of the encryption keys would allow the agencies to monitor cellphone users with impunity.
