Virtual SIM headache for security agencies

Srinagar, October 7

Virtual SIM cards pose a new headache for security agencies fighting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir as their use in the Valley has seen an increase among terror groups to connect with their handlers in Pakistan, officials said here.

The penetration of this new technology was found in 2019 when a request was sent to the US to seek details from a service provider of “virtual SIMs” used by suicide bomber of the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group involved in the Pulwama attack that left 40 CRPF personnel dead.

However, a detailed investigation done by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and other security agencies indicated that over 40 virtual SIM cards were used in the Pulwama attack alone and there were probably more of them floating in the cyberspace of the Valley, the officials said.

It is a fairly new modus operandi wherein terrorists across the border are using “virtual SIM” cards, generated by a service provider from a foreign country. In this technology, the computer generates a telephone number and the user downloads an application of the service provider on their smartphone.

The number is linked to social networking sites like WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram or Twitter. The verification code for activating the service is generated by these networking sites and received on the smartphone.

The officials said the numbers used were pre-fixed with a country code or Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number (MSISDN) number. — PTI

Terrorists adopt New modus operandi

It is a fairly new modus operandi wherein terrorists across the border are using “virtual SIM” cards, generated by a service provider from a foreign country. In this technology, the computer generates a telephone number and the user downloads an application of the service provider on their smartphone.