SIM swap

An attack where someone impersonates the victim to a mobile carrier and gets their phone number moved to a SIM card the attacker controls. From then on, texts and calls, including SMS one-time codes, go to the attacker, who can reset passwords and take over accounts. Do not rely on SMS for important accounts; use an authenticator app or security key, and enable any account PIN the carrier offers.

Further reading: attack.mitre.org

All terms