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When SIM-Swapping Happens To You To create your account, Google will share your name, email
address and pro le picture with medium.com. By continuing,
you agree to medium.com's privacy policy and terms of
How to protect yourself from a SIM hijack, deal with an attack as it
service.
CipherBlade
Jun 5 · 51 min read
MyCrypto and CipherBlade have collaborated on this article to help you understand
the dangers of a SIM-jacking attack, and how best to defend yourself against and
attack, and how to recover from such an event. This article aims to be a “one-stop”
article to read, reference, and share with your friends and colleagues. It's not short, but
it's thorough.
We encourage you to ask questions and leave comments as you read. Whether you are a
newcomer to this space or a long-time security expert, your commentary helps make
this guide more comprehensive and keep it up-to-date. If you have more in-depth
feedback, start a conversation with us.
Note: SIM jacking is also commonly referred to as "SIM-swapping," "SIM porting," "port out
fraud," "phone porting," and "SIM hijacking." We use these phrases interchangeably in this
article.
Of course, SIM-swapping isn’t the only risk that exists in this digital world. It’s a good idea
to audit your online security overall, and we recommend referencing MyCrypto’s Security
Guide For Dummies And Smart People Too.
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Table of Contents
INTRO: What is SIM jacking?
How do they get your SIM / phone number?
Separating Concerns
Bonus Round!
File a report with law enforcement To create your account, Google will share your name, email
address and pro le picture with medium.com. By continuing,
you agree to medium.com's privacy policy and terms of
PART 3: What to do after you’ve been SIM jacked
service.
Decide What Information to Share with the Service Providers of Breached Accounts
CONCLUSION
. . .
“But I'm not famous / wealthy enough to have this happen to me!”
If you are reading this article, we guarantee that you are a potential victim of this
attack. It doesn't matter how "famous" you are or how well-known or little-known you
are. While there are certain actions that may make you a bigger target, we have seen far
Sign
more people with increasingly smaller profiles in to medium.com
falling with Google
victim to these attacks lately.
Why? The ROI for attackers getting their hands onPradyut Sengupta
your crypto is huge. Crypto is very
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unique — it's decentralized, it can be easily anonymized, and it has real monetary
value. This attack is relatively easy, requires no code, and is becoming increasingly
CONTINUE AS PRADYUT
reported upon, inspiring more and more attackers to give it a shot.
To create your account, Google will share your name, email
address and pro le picture with medium.com. By continuing,
you agree to medium.com's privacy policy and terms of
service.
In addition, your cryptocurrency isn’t the only thing that can be stolen. 2019 saw a
transition from stealing crypto to stealing sensitive data, such as business documents,
personal information, or other data. The SIM swappers no longer need to rely on
directly stealing funds—they can also succeed via extortion.
Lastly, all the information an attacker needs in order to socially engineer a mobile
phone provider's support representative is readily available via social media or sites like
TruthFinder. Because most people (including possibly you) don’t realize the
consequences of gaining unauthorized access to one’s phone number, it’s an area that is
not secured in the same way other things can be secured.
All of the above results in more people attempting more attacks with more success. In
turn, it's not just famous people, the "top 100 influencers," or high-profile traders who
are under attack. It's anyone and everyone who is involved in crypto.
You are at risk. Accept this. Take action now before it is too late.
Support agents aren’t trained on this type of attack and are able to migrate your phone
number, regardless of the information “you” provide or don’t provide. 99% of their
calls are from people who legitimately broke their phone or got a new phone and need
this action taken. Support agents are typically paid next to nothing and their
performance is judged by computers. There is little incentive for them to protect you
from an attack they know nothing about, and a high incentive for them to help "you,"
keep "you" happy, and keep their average call times down. To make matters worse, any
notes on your account are not prominently displayed to support agents and are
completely inaccessible to them if you have an additional PIN / password on your
account.
You may have notifications that came through before your phone
CONTINUE lost service or if
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you still are connected via Wi-Fi, like emails from your phone carrier or password
To create your account, Google will share your name, email
address and pro le picture with medium.com. By continuing,
reset emails from various services. you agree to medium.com's privacy policy and terms of
service.
You may have a system notification stating that you can no longer access a phone-
level account (like your Apple ID or Google account) and need to re-enter your
password.
On Android, you may have a “this account was added to a new device” notification.
On iOS or your Mac computer, you may have a "are you attempting to log in from
Los Angeles, California?" pop-up.
If you use any non-SMS 2FA mechanisms that have push notifications (e.g.,
Microsoft Authenticator, Apple), you may have a “here’s the code you requested” or
“are you trying to log in?" notification.
1. An attacker successfully gets your phone number on their device, allowing them to
receive all your incoming text messages and phone calls.
2. The attacker attempts to log in to your primary Google account and clicks “Forgot
password?”
3. The attacker clicks “Try another way” until they get to the “Get a verification code
sent to (XXX) XXX-XXXX” screen.
4. The attacker receives the SMS sent to your phone number that they now control
and successfully resets your password and gains access to your Google account.
5. The attacker changes your phone number and recovery email to ones that only they
Sign
control, ensuring you cannot easily regain in to medium.com
access with Google
to your account.
9. The attacker buys more crypto with any USD holdings you have, linked credit/debit
cards, or linked bank accounts. If these transactions are processed before you
regain access to your Google or exchange accounts, your bank account will be
emptied, sold for crypto, and in the attacker’s sole control.
Note: because the attacker has access to your email and SMS, they are able to intercept
and then delete any emails or texts regarding your new password or withdrawals. This
means you may not realize which accounts have been accessed or emptied until much,
much later.
Needless to say, it is incredibly damaging, especially if a bad actor is able to take over a
critical account—think Google, Apple, or your password manager—that allows them to
gain access to other accounts.
. . .
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The actionable items described below should take you three or four hours to complete.
Please, take the time to secure yourself and your cryptocurrency. If you don't, perhaps
consider that these decentralized, irreversible assets may not be a good fit for you right
now.
We applaud you for making it this far. You’ve invested more time into educating
yourself about personal security than most. This is essential in a space where there is
no centralized party, government, or bank to fix things if they go wrong.
1. A numerical passcode, like 1234. Except, please don’t use 1234, nor the last four
of your social, nor your birth date.
Obviously, #3 is the best option. We've worked with dozens of people who have been
SIM-swapped and we have yet to see an attacker successfully swap a SIM in-store, with
ID (although we do know of one case where it was attempted). This makes sense as it
requires a lot of risk and effort on the part of the criminal.
The downside is that mobile carriers have not established a sterling reputation for
Sign even
adhering to any of these security measures and, in to medium.com with Google
if they do “put a note on your
account,” it does not mean that the support agent who handles a call regarding your
Pradyut Sengupta
account will heed the request. pradyuts@gmail.com
Nonetheless, these steps are still worth taking, as it reduces the likelihood of a
CONTINUE AS PRADYUT
successful attack, makes it harder and more time-consuming for the attacker, and gives
To create your account, Google will share your name, email
you the ability to prove you took these steps, which
address can
and pro allowwith
le picture you to pursue
medium.com. By a civil case
continuing,
you agree to medium.com's privacy policy and terms of
against your phone carrier, such as the oneservice.
Michael Terpin has filed against AT&T.
Action Items
Log into your mobile phone carrier account and change your password to a strong,
unique password.
In any unused fields, like middle name or address #2, add your own notes. Like:
“DO NOT SWAP SIM” or “REQUIRE IN-STORE VISIT FOR ACCT CHANGES!!” or
“DON’T YOU DARE PUT MY # ON A NEW PHONE!”
If you have multiple people on the account, see if you can remove yourself as a
person with authorized access to make account changes. Imagine you are an
irresponsible 12-year-old teenager and the other person on the account is your
mom 😉. Do that. You may need to call or be in-person.
Document everything: date & time of visit, location visited, names and employee
IDs of those you talked to. Ask for them to send you a text, give you a print-out, or
send you an email confirming what you discussed and any changes that were made
to secure your account.
Instruct the representative that any request regarding your SIM, device, phone
number, or account administration only be done in-store, after you present your
government-issued ID.
Request that a PIN or passphrase or both is added to your account when any actions
regarding your account are requested.
Share what you learn and what your experience was like with us and others,
especially if there was something specificSign
youinsaid
to medium.com with
or did that Google especially
worked
well.
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Helpful Hints for Success
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Be nice and courteous. It's unlikely that the minimum wage store employee knows
about these attacks and certainly doesn't have
To create the
your authority
account, to share
Google will implement
your name,and
email
address and pro le picture with medium.com. By continuing,
enforce proper security procedures onyou
a corporate level. privacy policy and terms of
agree to medium.com's
service.
Inform them that you are a high-risk individual (even if you don’t think you are!)
and you need to understand what they are doing to protect you from this style of
attack. See what they offer before listing your demands.
Have some links prepared on your phone to educate the person you are talking to
about the style of attack and magnitude of loss. (One. Two. Three. Four.)
If you aren’t getting helpful service, politely ask if they have a manager or colleague
who is more experienced with high-risk individuals. Or, try again at a different
time / location.
Rumor has it that some phone carriers have special services for “high-risk
individuals or celebrities.” Ask about that.
Rumor has it that AT&T provides a super-secure option that locks down everything.
The downside is you no longer have online access and even have to go into the store
to pay your bill, like the dark ages. The upside is it’s much harder to be attacked.
Ask about this, even if you aren't on AT&T.
. . .
Ideally, you will have a dedicated Google Voice number that you use solely for securing
accounts. It should not be known by anyone nor should it be tied to a Google account
you currently use / is known. Don’t share this number or email with people, and don’t
enter it into a form when you make a random online purchase.
Action Items
Choose a username that is not associated with you. Pick some random name. Have
some fun—this is your new alter ego.
Secure this account. Detailed instructions are found under “Securing your Google”
section.
As you are updating your existing accounts or creating new accounts, use this
number whenever you are forced to provide a phone number for recovery or
security reasons.
. . .
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Once an attacker is in your email account, they can initiate a password reset for
any account that uses that email address to log in to or as a recovery method. This
grants them an endless array of financial accounts and data, personal information,
files, photos, messaging platforms, and who knows what else. Think about everything
that is linked to your primary email. 😱
While the above cannot be understated, it’s also worth noting that emails are not
necessarily the highest-value asset in your Google account:
They can see all your bookmarks (like which exchanges you use) via
chrome://bookmarks/.
They can see where you are currently, physically located and everywhere you’ve
been in the past via your Timeline.
Your calendar tells them where you will be and if you are traveling soon so they can
time future attacks while you’re on a plane.
If it’s not in your calendar, they can just Google “my upcoming flights.”
They can access all your Google Hangouts messages, as well as your Google Voice
messages and voicemails, as well as intercept incoming ones.
They can access all your past Google Fi messages and voicemails and intercept
incoming ones.
They can see all your notes in Google Keep, like the passwords you save there.
They can grab all your contacts, including your social security number and your
secret key that you store under “Me.” They now have the names and phone
numbers of your crypto-colleagues.
They can view all the emails you sent to yourself with sensitive information in
them.
And now know every service they should visit and initiate a password reset for.
And see all the apps you have installed and uninstalled, like which exchanges or
wallets you prefer on your Android device.
Not to mention all the sites you frequent and stuff you do.
They can log into and “sync” their Chrome browser to your Google account, giving
them access to all Chrome extensions youSign in toinstalled.
have medium.com with Google
Access to and ability to edit and deployTo create your account, Google will share your name, email
any
address chrome extensions
and pro le picture you manage.
with medium.com. By continuing,
you agree to medium.com's privacy policy and terms of
service.
Access to and ability to edit any Android apps you manage.
Access to all your data and your user’s data that is in Firebase.
Access to any sites you use the "Log in with Google" button to log in to.
Needless to say, it is insanely important that you thoroughly secure every single
one of your Google accounts. Not just your personal one. Not just your crypto one.
Not just your business one. All. Of. Them. Please. 🙏
Action Items
3. Depending on what you have set up, what come next will vary.
4. If you are prompted to “Use your phone as your second sign-in step” (aka “Google
Prompt”), do that. Approve it on your phone. Then continue to #7.
5. If you are prompted to use your phone number, do that, and continue to #7. (We’ll
remove the phone number later.) Sign in to medium.com with Google
6. If you go directly to a page called “2-Step Verification” with a list of options, skip to
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#11.
7. Once you add one type of 2FA, Google will ask you to add aAS
CONTINUE “backup option.” You
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want to use “Backup Codes" as your backup option, which are simply a set of single-
To create your account, Google will share your name, email
use codes that you can use if you breakaddress
yourand pro le picture with medium.com. By continuing,
phone or otherwise lose access to your
you agree to medium.com's privacy policy and terms of
service.
primary 2FA method of account. These are super important secrets and should be
backed up and secured as such.
8. Super important secrets are things like private keys, paper wallets, your birth
certificate, or social security card and should be stored in a manner that optimizes
for security and long-term, infrequent access. Do not print or download them.
Don’t take a screenshot. Don’t take a photo. Instead, take out a pen and paper
and write down the secret as carefully and legibly as possible. Then, take a new piece
of paper and write it down again. Note the account they are for and the date. Keep
these in two physically distinct, secure locations. You could store these in a
fireproof / waterproof safe, something like a Steely or CryptoSteel, get a fire-
resistance bag for <$20, or simply laminate them or put them in a Ziploc bag
sealed with tamper evident stickers. One reason to have two copies is that if your
house burns down, you have another copy. Get in the habit of backing up and
storing critical account information, high-risk passwords, recovery codes, 2FA
seeds, private keys, and seed phrases in this manner.
11. You should now be on a page called “2-Step Verification” with a list of all the
available 2FA options. Regardless of what you have previously set up or just set up,
let’s quickly audit all of it.
12. Security Key: YES! This is the most secure option, but requires you to purchase a
separate device like a Titan, YubiKey, Ledger, or Trezor. If you choose this option, I
recommend also using the Authenticator app or Google Prompt just in case you
leave your device at home. If you have good luck using only the security key for a
couple months, you can remove Authenticator / Prompt at any point.
13. Authenticator App: YES. We strongly recommend Google Authenticator, which
you can download on any mobile device.Sign
(Forin reasons
to medium.com
why wewithrecommend
Google Google
Authenticator over Authy, see the section on Authy below). Click “Set Up” and then
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scan the QR code with your Google Authenticator app. If you want a backup of this
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code in case you break your phone, click “Can’t Scan It?” Follow the procedure
outlined in step #8 and write down the string of numbers
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letters displayed. If
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your phone breaks, you can re-add this to your new phone’s Google Authenticator
To create your account, Google will share your name, email
app via this code. Confirm the 6-digit address
number anddisplayed
pro le picturein your
with app. Click
medium.com. “Verify.”
By continuing,
you agree to medium.com's privacy policy and terms of
service.
14. Backup Codes: YES. Always have backup codes and never store them on a digital
device. See step #8 above for how to securely store your backup codes. If you didn’t
just generate these codes, click “Show Codes,” then click “Get New Codes,” then
back them up in the manner described in step #8.
15. Google Prompt: YES or NO (your choice). The jury is out on how secure this is
because it’s so new, but it seems fine as it’s tied to a device rather than a phone
number. This may or may not be available depending on your mobile device. You
can use it if you like it, or turn it off if you don’t like it.
16. Voice or text message: NO! If this is already set up, remove it.
17. Devices you trust: Click “Revoke All.” Let’s start fresh.
19. Signing in to Google - Password: Make sure you are using a strong, unique
password. If you haven’t changed this in a while, change it now. If you use this
password elsewhere, change it now.
20. Signing in to Google - App Passwords: Remove any if you have them set up.
These were sometimes needed back in the day but now it’s just an attack vector
waiting to be exploited as these bypass 2FA. You can always set up a new app
password if you need to in the future.
21. Ways we can verify it’s you - Recovery Phone: Remove your recovery phone! You
can use methods from your 2-Step Verification to recover access if you need to.
Click the “Recovery Phone” row and then the little delete / trash icon next to your
number.
22. Ways we can verify it’s you - Recovery Email: Remove your recovery email! Click
the “Recovery Email” row. There is no "delete" icon, so click the edit button. Delete
all the text in that line. Click “Done.” It will let you save the empty field, removing
your email as a recovery option. Sign in to medium.com with Google
25. Google apps with account access: Remove / revoke anything that you aren’t
100% actively using. You can always add it back super easily if you need to!
26. Signing in with Google: Remove / revoke anything that you aren’t 100% actively
using. You can always add it back super easily if you need to!
27. Chrome / Google Password Manager: If you don't have a dedicated password
manager like LastPass or 1Password, set one up now. (See the section on password
managers below.) Migrate all your passwords that are saved in Google / Chrome
currently, and then remove all stored passwords from Google / Chrome. This
prevents an attacker who gets access to your Google account from getting instant
access to all of your other accounts. Uncheck “Offer to Save Passwords” to ensure
you don’t accidentally save something later. Use your LastPass or 1Password
moving forward.
28. If you want to go even further, check out Google’s Advanced Protection Program.
It’s pretty hefty but may be something that makes you even more secure.
Total Time
If you use an iCloud email address, an attacker can access any account linked to that
email address. They can also access, edit, and deploy any iOS or Mac applications you
manage with that Apple account.
If you are uncertain if your account is secure or need assistance, we recommend hiring
a Certified Apple Specialist that can walk you through the process and help you audit
your Apple security. While writing this, we consulted with Alex from iHelp to clarify
some things.
Let’s look at the recovery process of an AppleID after completing the action items
below. Unfortunately, your phone number cannot be removed and can be used as part
of the recovery process of your AppleID.
Sign in to medium.com with Google
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There are two ways to proceed with the recovery process: via your phone number or
using a stolen “trusted device” of yours that isn’t protected withASa PRADYUT
CONTINUE secure, unique
password. To create your account, Google will share your name, email
address and pro le picture with medium.com. By continuing,
you agree to medium.com's privacy policy and terms of
service.
When you have 2FA enabled, you need to authorize a password reset from a trusted
device. This is why using a secure, unique password is so important.
However, someone can also recover your account by clicking “I don’t have access to the
trusted device.” Sign in to medium.com with Google
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Most of these next methods involve using “Find my iPhone” with the aid of an
authorized retailer and one of their devices.
Or, if a bad actor has collected personal information about you, they can attempt to
reset your password without a device, though this can take days and cannot be
expedited. At the start of the process, you are sent a confirmation code via SMS, so the
attacker can intercept this and begin the procedure.
Some of the personal information include things like your long card number, expiry
Sign in to
date, and card security code of a payment method medium.com
attached with AppleID.
to your Google These
types of requests are sent to Apple and communication is delayed until they can verify
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the request and will email your AppleID later withpradyuts@gmail.com
a follow-up.
If your device is stolen, you can report it to Apple to get the serial number blacklisted
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and put it into “Lost Mode.” This means when the device connects to WiFi, the location
is pinged to iCloud so you can see where itTo
is.createand
address
your account, Google will share your name, email
pro le picture with medium.com. By continuing,
you agree to medium.com's privacy policy and terms of
service.
Apple has very strict security policies and even authorized retailers do not have special
powers to recover an account—they are required to verify your government-issued ID
and some (if they don’t have ID scanners) ask for a debit or credit card for the account
holder. Some retailers verify that the requester has access to the email account linked
to the AppleID before they assist.
Key Takeaways
Ensure any email address(es) associated with your AppleID are secure as these are
instrumental for account recovery.
Ensure you limit the number of “trusted devices” you link to your Apple account to
only devices you are actively using.
Be on the lookout for unexpected emails from Apple and Apple 2FA / recovery
prompts on your devices. Get in contact with Apple, an Apple authorized retailer,
or someone like Alex from iHelp if you are confused or concerned.
Action Items
Please note: Apple has two different “Two-step” things. You want “Two-factor
authentication,” not just “Two-step verification.” Yes, it’s mind-numbing.
Audit devices that are trusted by your AppleID. Remove those not in your
possession anymore or ones you don’t use.
For each device listed, ensure you have enabled and use a secure, unique password.
This means that computer #1 has a different password than computer #2 which
has a different password than your iPhone.
(Advised) Take a look at what is being stored on iCloud. Remove sensitive or secret
information, or consider limiting what files you store there. Change your iCloud
settings to not auto upload your PC images to your iCloud account. While you are in
iCloud, audit the “Look Me Up” list.
Total Time
. . .
The two most recommended and accessible solutions are LastPass and 1Password.
These are “cloud-based,” although all your secret data is protected and encrypted by a
“Master Password” that never leaves your computer / device. This means that there is
Sign in your
no “forgot password” button and no way to access to medium.com
account with Google
if you forget your
master password.
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Action Items
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Note: not all of these may be available for your specific password manager.
To create your account, Google will share your name, email
1. Update your master password to ensure address
it is and pro lereally,
really, picture with medium.com.
really strong,Byunique,
continuing,
you agree to medium.com's privacy policy and terms of
secure, and unforgettable. Don't store service.
the password anywhere except written down
on your trusty pieces of paper.
2. If you use LastPass, 1Password, or another solution that supports 2FA, enable 2FA
via Google Authenticator and / or a hardware device like Yubico.
4. See if there is a “security email” or “secondary email” that can set up to receive
notifications about new logins and security alerts. This is helpful in preventing an
attacker from intercepting and deleting these emails if they gain access to your
primary email.
5. Enable auto logouts after a certain period of time to ensure there aren’t any
random open sessions floating around.
8. Once you have passwords in your password manager, check out their “security
challenge” or “watchtower.” This will help you update duplicate and weak
passwords and highlight your weak spots. Repeat periodically.
If your password manager is a local solution, ensure that your backups are in offline
storage and your local devices are encrypted.
Total Time
10-20 minutes
. . .
Securing your Authy
Sign in to medium.com with Google
Each time we recommend against using Authy we get piles of questions and outrage.
Here’s our rationale: that super awesome feature that you love so much—the one that
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allows you to recover your 2FA codes stored in Authy when you get a new phone — it’s
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a security nightmare! If you can recover your codes, so can an attacker.
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To make matters worse, the only thing an attacker needs in order to recover all your
To create your account, Google will share your name, email
Authy codes is a verification number that is sent
address to you
and pro viawith
le picture SMS.medium.com. By continuing,
you agree to medium.com's privacy policy and terms of
service.
If you get SIM-swapped and they recover your Authy codes on their device, they will
have access to all your SMS 2FA codes AND your token-based 2FA codes!
If you absolutely insist on using Authy, you must ensure it's secure.
Action Items
That's it!
Fine….
Open Authy.
Sign in to medium.com with Google
Open the menu and then select "Settings."
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Change your phone number to the secure-secret Google Voice number from earlier.
pradyuts@gmail.com
Navigate to "Devices" and turn OFF "Allow multi-device." This prevents an attacker
from recovering all your codes via a single SMS.
Select any other devices and click "Remove." This ensures you don't have an old
phone laying around with all your codes.
Now, when you get a new phone, you can turn on multi-device support momentarily,
set up Authy on your new device, and then turn off multi-device support immediately
after. This will migrate your codes. However, this assumes you have your previous
phone — you didn't lose it or break it.
If you do lose or break your current phone, you won't be able to recover these codes.
So, again, just use Google Authenticator and back up manually via paper. It's not that
hard and much more secure.
Total Time
2 minutes
. . .
You may not recall, but you never created a username, provided an email address, or
created a password when you set up Telegram. Unless you've adjusted your Telegram
settings, the only thing you need to log in is a code provided via Telegram message on a
trusted device or a code sent via SMS.
You can make your Telegram a bit more secure by enabling both the "local passcode"
and "two-step verification" settings: Sign in to medium.com with Google
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Too often, people entirely overlook these Telegram settings (let alone all of the other
steps) and while they may not experience financial loss if their Telegram is
compromised, their colleagues do when the SIM-swapper hijacks their Telegram
account and asks all their contacts for money.
Action Items
Enable Local Passcode: Navigate to "Settings" > "Privacy and Security." Add a PIN
under "passcode lock."
Prevent others from discovering your phone number: Navigate to “Settings” >
“Privacy and Security” > “Phone Number” and select “Nobody.”
Deactivate phone calls: Choose “Nobody” under “Settings” > “Privacy and
Security” > “Phone Calls.” Add exceptions for people you trust and do want to be
able to call you. Telegram used to suffer from a vulnerability through which your IP
address could leak through phone calls. We’re hopeful it has been — but better safe
than sorry.
Enable 2-Step Verification: Create a strong, unique password and don't use your
primary email as the recovery email.
Bonus points! Under "Active Sessions," remove any that you don't recognize, are
on old phones, or are not actively using.
Total Time
2 minutes
. . .
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Pro-tip: Since you are going to be logging into all these accounts anyways, we recommend
you set up a password manager like LastPass or 1Password if you don’t already use one,
and create new, secure, unique passwords for each of these accounts. This ensures password
reuse doesn’t bite you in the ass, especially with the billions of username / passwords that
have been compromised over the years.
While it would be impossible to list every service you may use, here is a
prioritized list of what to add your new best friend Mr. 2FA to.
You can also use https://twofactorauth.org/ to view more services and see what 2FA
formats they support. The s̶ t̶r̶u̶c̶ k̶ i̶ t̶ ̶e̶m̶s̶ don’t offer 2FA at all, or only offer SMS 2FA, so
you need to change your phone number to your super-secure Google Voice number.
2. Backup / Sync / Cloud Storage: Apple / iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft
/ OneDrive, Bo̶ x̶ , etc.
9. Photo Storage: iCloud, Google Photos, Adobe. Note: Besides screenshots of secrets /
backups, SIM-swappers love to utilize, ehrm, certain types of photos to extort people.
Consider removing secret / sensitive / sexy photos from your cloud provider entirely.
10. Finances / Money: Chase, Wells Fargo, Ba̶ r̶ c̶la̶ ̶ y̶s̶, HSBC, Charles Schwab,
Betterment, E*Trade, TD A
̶ m̶e̶ r̶ it̶ ̶r̶a̶d̶ e̶ , Vanguard, Fidelity, Mint, YNAB, Cr̶ e̶d̶ i̶t̶
̶ a̶ r̶ m̶a̶ , Carta, eBay, Alipay, TurboTax, Quickbooks, Robinhood, Ca̶ s̶ h̶ A
K ̶ p̶ p̶ , Ve̶ n̶ m̶o̶ ,
TransferWise, Paypal, etc.
11. Forums: Reddit, St̶a̶c̶ k̶Ex̶ c̶h̶a̶ n̶ g̶ e̶ /̶St̶a̶c̶ k̶o̶ v̶ e̶r̶ f̶lo
̶ ̶ w̶, Qu̶ o̶ r̶ a̶, Im̶g̶ u̶ r̶ , random gaming
forums, random hobby forums, old shitty forums, etc.
12. Work: As̶ a̶n̶ a̶ , BambooHR, Gu̶ s̶ t̶o̶, Jira, Clubhouse, Front, ZenDesk, Zenefits,
Groove, Mailchimp, Substack, Salesforce, Slideshare, Trello, SendGrid, Blackboard,
Docusign, etc.
13. Notes: Evernote, Notion, Scribd, Po̶ c̶ k̶e̶ t̶, To̶ d̶ o̶ i̶s̶t̶, etc.
14. Shopping: Amazon, Ta̶ r̶ g̶e̶ t̶, Wa̶ l̶m̶a̶ r̶ t̶, Newegg, etc.
Pradyut Sengupta
Until these laggards catch up, you have two options:
pradyuts@gmail.com
1. Insist on using competitors that offer better security. If this is feasible, we highly
CONTINUE AS PRADYUT
encourage you to switch to a competitor service and let it be known that you’ve
switched for this reason. Speaking with our money
To create (this
your account, applies
Google even
will share yourto "free"
name, emailsites)
address and pro le picture with medium.com. By continuing,
is a great way to encourage change. you agree to medium.com's privacy policy and terms of
service.
2. If there is no suitable replacement for the service and you must continue using it,
utilize your new Google Voice number for SMS activation / account reset.
. . .
Take the time now to set up and practice making a phone call without your SIM card.
First, select & set up a VOIP service that supports calling landlines
Google Hangouts / Voice: This is your best choice because it’s actually free and it
works from your browser or mobile app. Downside: if your Google account is
compromised, you won’t be able to access it. So, make sure you secure your Google
accounts or Google Voice is set up on multiple accounts. Hangouts on your
Computer, Android, iOS or Voice on your Computer, Android, or iOS.
FreedomPop: An app that gives you a free 200 minutes / month once you set it up.
Make sure you test it first. We didn't particularly like the permissions it requested
on Android, but it did work on our test device. iOS and Android only.
Line: The newest rage in Asia and supposedly allows you to make free calls to
landlines if you watch an ad first. You’ll have to confirm it works though as it
rejected every number we tried calling. Available for literally every device.
Skype: Available for every device but costs a bit of money to call a landline (as you
Sign
will need to do in this case). Loading it up in to$10
with medium.com
of creditwith Google
should be sufficient
for your needs and is a good choice if you already use Skype.
Pradyut Sengupta
pradyuts@gmail.com
Viber: It costs money to call landlines via Viber Out, but if you already use Viber it
would probably still be worth it to throw $10 worth of credit on it now just to have
CONTINUE AS PRADYUT
it available. iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux.
To create your account, Google will share your name, email
address and pro le picture with medium.com. By continuing,
Action Items you agree to medium.com's privacy policy and terms of
service.
Using the option you chose above (or a different option you prefer), try calling
yourself. Ensure the call connects and you hear your voicemail message playing.
Find your mobile phone provider’s customer support phone number(s). Some are
below. They will have a “customer care” number, but also search for a number
specifically for urgent or fraudulent situations. For example, AT&T has their
“Global Fraud Management Department @ 877.844.5584.”
Save these numbers to wherever you normally save numbers AND to where you
just called from. Save the actual phone number, not the quick-number that only
works on certain devices.
Call this number and ensure you connect and listen to options play. If you feel up to
it, have another chat with them about their security offerings. 😉
If you did this on your computer, repeat on your phone. If you did this on your
phone, repeat on your computer.
Bonus round!
There are a few things that don't strictly fall in the scope of this guide but are good
practices. We’re including them as they are actions victims of SIM-swapping wished
they had taken.
Do not print or download them. Don’t take a screenshot. Don’t take a photo. Don't save
them to iCloud or Dropbox or Google Drive. Don't email them to yourself.
Instead, take out a pen and paper and write down the secret as carefully and legibly as
possible. Then, take a new piece of paper and write it down again. Note the account
they are for and the date. Keep these in two physically distinct, secure locations.
You could store these in a fireproof / waterproof safe, something like a Steely or
CryptoSteel, get a fire-resistance bag for <$20, or simply laminate them or put them in
a Ziploc bag sealed with tamper evident stickers.
One reason to have two copies is that if your house burns down, you have another copy.
Get in the habit of backing up and storing critical account information, high-risk
passwords, recovery codes, 2FA seeds, private keys, and seed phrases in this manner.
This way, if you are SIM-swapped, any account of yours is compromised, or your device
is stolen, you simply don’t have to think about those accounts or funds. However, if you
store backups in Google Drive or in your photos or in iCloud, the compromise of your
account could lead to not only your exchange assets being stolen, but also the assets
you don’t keep on an exchange.
https://medium.com/changelly/hardware-wallets-101-88442ac385b2
https://support.mycrypto.com/how-to/backup-restore/how-to-save-back-up-your-
wallet
https://en.bitcoinwiki.org/wiki/Cold_storage.
. . .
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Panic Correctly
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Do not let emotions cause you to do irrational and counter-productive things. Your first
step is triage and damage control. In order to maximize your own effectiveness, you’re
going to need to have the cognitive capacity to multitask effectively. Deep breaths.
immediately, meaning no one can receive phone calls or text messages to my number.
Then I can more fully explain or visit a location in person to verify my identity.”
3. Ask for your phone number moved back to your SIM / device. As would be the
case, they will likely now decide that you must absolutely, positively be in-store
with a government-issued ID. But, it never hurts to ask.
4. Ask for and write down the employee’s name / employee ID number and the
date / time of your call(s) for your records and future conversations with law
enforcement.
5. Ask for and write down the case ID number and / or support ticket number for
your records and future conversations with law enforcement. If they push back at
all, ask them how you are supposed to reference your case when filing a report with
law enforcement.
6. Request that they (your mobile service provider) retain all logs. Specifically
ask for the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number, time of call,
employees involved in fulfillment of the request, and any other information they
have related to your account, the SIM porting, and this situation. Note: they may
not disclose certain information to you, but you can ask. Priority should be that it's
saved somewhere for law enforcement.
Helpful hints for one of the most frustrating conversations of your life:
Be direct and focus on getting your phone number “turned off” or back in
your control. Be explicit. Repeat yourself. Try to avoid wasting time on what / how
/ why this happened or who’s at fault.
Don’t yell. Focus on working with them to accomplish what you need
accomplished. This minimum wage, outsourced, call-center employee doesn’t
know anything about you, your crypto, or your situation, and you do not have the
time to explain it to them. Use phrases like “what can we do to make this happen?”
to emphasize that you are a “team.” Sign in to medium.com with Google
Hang up and try again with a new agent if you get aSengupta
Pradyut particularly dense or
pradyuts@gmail.com
uncooperative employee. This is likely how your attacker did it, so can you.
. . .
It’s not a bad idea to refresh your locks every now and then.
As you’re doing this, secure any compromised accounts, assess the damage, and start
gathering the most critical information for investigators and law enforcement.
Take notes on everything you do and screenshot excessively. Screenshot when you
access something. Right before you change something. Right after you change
something. For example, you may kill an attacker's active session, BUT you will want
their device type, time accessed, and IP address once the dust settles. Also, being filled
with adrenaline while multi-tasking results in terrible, terrible memory and you don't
want to repeat work. Sign in to medium.com with Google
If you cannot access your Google because the attacker has changed the password,
follow this guide by Chris Robinson on how start the recovery process for your account.
You should do this now.
Check your email for any password reset emails or “you just signed in on
a new device” emails
Be sure to check your spam, archive, and trash folders.
Screenshot excessively.
Write down any and all the services you see mentioned in these emails.
2. Critical accounts that can lead to further compromise of data or financial loss
(other email addresses, exchanges, password managers, cloud storage, banks).
Starting at the top of your prioritized list, secure all of your accounts
1. Log in to each account on your list. Screenshot.
5. Remove the phone number linked to the account and/ or replace it with one the
To create your account, Google will share your name, email
address and pro le picture with medium.com. By continuing,
attacker does not control. you agree to medium.com's privacy policy and terms of
service.
6. Enable any and all security features that are offered.
8. Screenshot and then remove all devices, apps, active sessions, app passwords, “log
in with….” sites, connected accounts, etc.
10. Make a note if there are signs the attacker accessed that account or made any
changes.
Secure your exchanges and any other services that hold money (Paypal,
Banks)
In addition to the list above, you should take additional measures for your financial
accounts.
1. If you have any money or crypto currently in these services and you can confidently
withdraw to an address or bank account you know you control and could not be
compromised, do so now. Initiating the withdrawal will put those funds in a
“locked” state for a period of time.
2. If you have any money or crypto in these services but you aren’t confident about
moving it, you can email them and request they lock down your account and
prevent any withdrawals, deposits, trades, buys, sells, transfers, and/or logins until
further notice. Links to top exchanges and an email template can be found in Chris
Robison’s guide.
4. Screenshot and remove any withdrawal addresses, linked bank accounts, credit
card numbers or banking information, especially those that could be used to
withdraw USD from your bank account (e.g.,
Sign in to medium.com with Google
https://www.coinbase.com/settings/linked-accounts).
6. Screenshot and remove any and all API keys or OAuth applications (e.g.,
To create your account, Google will share your name, email
address and pro le picture with medium.com. By continuing,
https://www.coinbase.com/settings/api).
you agree to medium.com's privacy policy and terms of
service.
You should now see all devices that have access to your Telegram and messages.
Breathe.
Once you’ve put the proverbial tourniquet on the situation and phone number is back
in your control, or at least guaranteed to be out of the attacker’s control, you’ve secured
all of your accounts, there are no new password reset emails or other weird things
happening….
Breathe.
Give yourself five solid minutes to decompress. You deserve it and it will help you as
you go forward. The next steps require less adrenaline and more attention to detail.
Sign in to medium.com with Google
Pradyut Sengupta
pradyuts@gmail.com
CONTINUE AS PRADYUT
Just do it.
Google Suite (a custom domain but with Gmail/Google): ask your administrator
to pull audits and logs. They are very in depth, such as
https://support.google.com/a/answer/4580120?hl=en.
Coinbase: https://www.coinbase.com/settings/account_activity.
Keep your eyes open for anything you missed the first time around. If you see signs of
an attacker accessing one of your accounts, what were they doing? What information
were they able to access? What information do you know they accessed? What could
they do with that information?
Sometimes they are able to reveal certain information, such as how this occurred,
when it occurred, if it was done in-person or over the phone. Sometimes they will even
give you the IMEI and other details. Note all of this.
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You should also discuss and implement whatever options they have available to secure
Pradyut Sengupta
your account and ensure this can’t happen again. Sometimes, magically, there now is
pradyuts@gmail.com
another layer of protection they can offer you that they didn't think to mention before.
CONTINUE AS PRADYUT
File a report with law enforcement
You’re going to want to begin feeding all ofTo create your account, Google will share your name, email
this information to the right people. This
address and pro le picture with medium.com. By continuing,
you agree to medium.com's privacy policy and terms of
begins with filing a law enforcement report. In most countries, the local police are not
service.
who you want to go to. Tragically, most local police won’t even know the proper place
to report it.
Depending on your country, there are different places you need to report to. You can
use this handy list for reference. If you’re in the US, then you’ll want to report it via IC3.
Please note that IC3s don’t generate report numbers, so be sure to save a copy of your
report upon submission!
2. Steps you’ve taken to subsequently secure your phone number (e.g.. you’ve added a
passphrase).
3. Accounts that have been accessed (e.g., Gmail and Coinbase) with specific
timestamps, device information, IP information, and other data as applicable. Be
sure to include the obvious - your email address, the account information
(username or registered email) for the exchange, etc.
5. Any contact the SIM-swappers have made with you post-breach; this will typically
be via Telegram or SMS. Annotate account names, how they contacted you (SMS,
Telegram, via a third-party), profile pictures, usernames, and the full content of
messages.
6. Any extremely sensitive data that could have been accessed (KYC documents, trade
secrets, etc). Sign in to medium.com with Google
Pradyut
Remember: your role is to operate in facts, not theory. LawSengupta
enforcement has analysts to
pradyuts@gmail.com
theorize. Do not provide unnecessary noise with emotional rants about what you think
took place. Provide them with the raw data in as sensible of a format in as
CONTINUE AS PRADYUT
chronological an order as possible.
To create your account, Google will share your name, email
address and pro le picture with medium.com. By continuing,
. . .
you agree to medium.com's privacy policy and terms of
service.
Regardless of what you are feeling right now (embarrassment, shame, and despair are
common), you will need to do the right thing for your personal and professional
networks. The data obtained by the SIM-swappers cannot only be used to extort you,
but to extort others.
Additionally, sharing your experience and lessons learned may inspire those in your
network to take measures to improve their own security.
“I want to let you know that on [DATE] I was SIM swapped and had some of my accounts
hacked. Some information in our messages / emails may have been compromised in the
process. [NOTE ANY ESPECIALLY RELEVANT SPECIFICS HERE.] I have notified law
enforcement and taken steps to secure my phone number and accounts. It is possible that
the SIM swapper(s) may contact you or attempt to extort you. If they attempt to do so,
please notify law enforcement and do not pay them. While I find this incident
embarrassing, I hope that my transparency in this matter is appreciated and we can
continue our professional / personal relationship after my hard lesson learned.”
For those of you that are interacting with the victim of a SIM swap, providing the victim
support and understanding during this time,Sign
andinespecially
to medium.com with Google
gratitude for their
transparency, is extremely important. Inversely, if an individual (and especially) a
Pradyut Sengupta
company experiences a SIM swap or other data breach and conceals it, we highly
pradyuts@gmail.com
recommend ceasing any relationship with them due to their disregard for you and your
own security. You also have the ability to notify pertinent authorities
CONTINUE that this
AS PRADYUT
individual or business opted to try to sweep the incident under the rug, which is often
To create your account, Google will share your name, email
illegal. Legalities aside, as an industry, weaddress
need and
to begin expecting
pro le picture individuals
with medium.com. (and
By continuing,
you agree to medium.com's privacy policy and terms of
especially companies) to do the right thing.
service.
. . .
Additionally, you may want to re-secure and ensure you have secure, offline backups of
all of your accounts, passwords, recovery codes, 2FA backups, etc. now that you have
more time.
. . .
You may experience extortion attempts from the SIM swapper(s), but do not give in to
these. If you do, the SIM swapper(s) will simply return to you for more money at a later
point, possibly on other accounts.
Giving in to extortion not only provides financial support and incentive for continuity
of this crime, but encourages the SIM swapper(s) to engage your network and extort
them.
. . .
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Any details you provide to anyone besides your attorney / law enforcement has a
tendency to spread rapidly. It is extremely common for internet fraudsters to social
engineer both victims and the networks of victims to further extort money and / or
determine what tracks they may need to cover.
. . .
It is highly unlikely these providers will supply you with information you cannot access
via your account dashboard, and they especially will not disclose details about another
person or account. For example, if you noticed stolen assets ended up transferred to a
particular cryptocurrency exchange, that exchange will not provide you with account
information due to data privacy laws.
However, giving that exchange a “heads up” that law enforcement may be contacting
them soon is still considered to be a good practice.
. . .
Sign in to medium.com with Google
While failing to inform to your network about potentially breached information may
not make you an accomplice in the criminal sense, it makes you an accomplice in the
moral one.
. . .
By now, the “tourniquet phase”, “control phase”, “shock phase” are complete and you
are likely experiencing pain, guilt, sadness, and perhaps even some anger and
bargaining for good measure.
While it is tragic you are the victim of a crime, accepting how it happened, what it
currently means, what you must do now, and what to expect is critical in order for you
to reach a point of acceptance and move forward.
If at any time during this process things get especially tough and you are feeling
hopeless, depressed, or suicidal, we strongly encourage you to talk to someone about
it. There are so many amazing resources out there, especially if you aren’t getting the
Sign in to medium.com with Google
support you need from your own personal network.
More resources
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Even more resources
To create your account, Google will share your name, email
address and pro le picture with medium.com. By continuing,
And, if you hate phone calls, you can shoot antoemail
you agree to theprivacy
medium.com's Samaritans.
policy and terms of
service.
. . .
Now is a good time to put aside any personal beliefs, fear, or avoidance of law
enforcement. The law enforcement officials you will be in contact with don’t care about
your drug preferences or shoddy tax work.
“Hacker for hire” services are almost always scams that capitalize on your desperation
and gullibility. At best, you’ll lose (more) money. At worst, you've just implicated
yourself in a crime.
. . .
You are partially responsible due to a lack of your own due diligence surrounding
your personal security.
You can only change yourself and your own personal security moving forward.
While it's incredibly frustrating to rely on third parties without being able to change or
control their behavior, that's the way the world works.
Exclusively blaming your phone provider, your exchange, your email provider, or the
blockchain itself will result in a longer recovery process for yourself and a lot of angry,
sleepless nights. The goal here is to move past this. Please, don’t be this guy.
Additionally, you will experience immense disappointment if you are expecting your
email provider, your exchange, or the general public to investigate, change their
behavior, or take any specific actions for you, or because of you. It's unlikely they will
do much and if they do, they won't share with you.
On a brighter note, some folks find that sharing their experience and educating those
around about how to be more secure can be cathartic and rewarding. Be careful not to
reveal exact specifics of your case and focus on helping others rather than playing the
blame game. Helping others can help yourself.
. . .
1. Telling yourself that the assets are lost actually helps your mental health.
Constantly thinking about these assets may tempt you to do things fueled by
emotion that will push your case backward, such as engaging with the SIM
swapper(s), leaking data, or otherwise making needless noise for investigators.
3. There is no guarantee that your SIM swapper will be caught. While there has
been a lot of news lately about SIM swappers being arrested, they were located in
the US and had impressively bad operations security (opsec), which made the job
of investigators far easier. The investigation of your SIM swapper(s) will likely take
longer.
4. You’re probably not getting 100% of your money back, even if your SIM
swapper is caught. Sim swappers tend to live lavish lifestyles with their ill-gotten
gains and even after the arrest, the process of asset recovery still hasn’t begun and
may take a year or more to complete. This means you’ll get a pro-rata asset
recovery, presuming there is enough data to identify you as a victim.
. . .
Regardless, you are the best person to determine what help you may need. We
encourage you to check in with yourself throughout this process, stay mindful, reflect
on your situation, and take measures to improve yourself and your life.
. . .
Conclusion
Sim-swapping is a terrifying reality in this day and age and is especially prominent in
the cryptocurrency industry. As long as phone numbers remain a single point of failure
and protect so much value, SIM swapping attacks will continue and likely increase in
frequency and sophistication.
Until we change this aspect of the world, you must take responsibility for your own
security. By educating and securing yourself, you are one less victim and one less
success story for an attacker. Proper preparation prevents piss poor performance.
. . .
Pradyut
Get in touch with MyCrypto via Twitter, Facebook, or Sengupta
pradyuts@gmail.com
iheartsecurity@mycrypto.com.
CONTINUE AS PRADYUT
. . .
To create your account, Google will share your name, email
address and pro le picture with medium.com. By continuing,
you agree to medium.com's privacy policy and terms of
CipherBlade is currently the only known professional
service. service to provide support and
resources for incidents like SIM swapping. Their dedication to the blockchain space
and investigative experience has helped recover millions of dollars of stolen funds,
prevented ICO scams, and mitigated emergency security incidents, day and night.
If there’s anything we failed to include, could be more clearly stated, or is no longer correct,
please find us on any of the links above and we’ll update ASAP.
. . .
https://nypost.com/2019/04/13/hackers-are-stealing-millions-in-bitcoin-and-
Pradyut Sengupta
pradyuts@gmail.com
living-like-big-shots/
https://blog.kraken.com/post/219/security-advisory-mobile-phones/
CONTINUE AS PRADYUT
https://medium.com/mycrypto/mycryptos-security-guide-for-dummies-and-
smart-people-too-ab178299c82e
https://winter.mycrypto.com/
https://cipherblade.com/cybercrime-reporting/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW6myutKBYk
https://coingeek.com/cipherblade-share-a-lesson-about-crypto-theft/
https://support.mycrypto.com/staying-safe/how-to-securely-store-and-guard-
your-private-key
https://medium.com/changelly/hardware-wallets-101-88442ac385b2
https://support.mycrypto.com/staying-safe/protecting-yourself-and-your-funds
https://github.com/crytic/awesome-ethereum-security
https://github.com/crytic/blockchain-security-contacts
https://medium.com/mycrypto/mycryptos-security-incident-response-101-
36a57b17038b
https://support.kraken.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000444963-Setting-up-the-
Global-Settings-Lock-GSL-
Titan
YubiKey
Ledger
Trezor
Sign in to medium.com with Google
Pradyut Sengupta
pradyuts@gmail.com
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