eSIM security vs. a physical SIM: An eSIM is safer

A graphic depicting a hand holding a phone. The phone has a blue ribbon tie down which is secured around it, and on the screen it shows an image of a computer IC chip.

Apart from, the convenience of being able to easily enable an eSIM (without waiting for a physical SIM delivery), the ease of switching SIM profiles when travelling, and not having a physical card that gets damaged, these eSIMs also have some security advantages too.

eSIM (embedded subscriber identity module) technology employs various additional security measures that make it less prone to hacking than physical SIMs. Those measures include a secure element, which stores sensitive data and protects it from unauthorized access or tampering, adding an extra layer of protection against hacking attempts.

They cannot be cloned, as they cannot be physically accessed from outside the phone. Also, if your phone is stolen, it is not like a physical SIM where a thief can just remove the SIM card (the eSIM is always active inside the phone).

In other aspects they are quite similar to physical SIM cards, for example, with SIM swapping, as SIM swapping is done virtually on the network side and has little to do with the SIM in your phone.

But remember that no online device is ever fully immune to hacking. So whilst eSIMs are a step up from physical SIM cards, they may not be fully immune.

See https://nordvpn.com/blog/is-esim-safe

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