eSIMplicity or eSIMplification? Privacy and Security Risks in the eSIM Ecosystem

Maryam Motallebighomi, Jason Veara, Evangelos Bitsikas, Aanjhan Ranganathan

34th USENIX Security Symposium · Day 1

eSIM technology, the digital successor to the traditional physical SIM card, is rapidly transforming mobile connectivity by allowing users to activate cellular services remotely without hardware swaps. While this shift offers unparalleled convenience, particularly for international travelers and the burgeoning Internet of Things (IoT) landscape, it simultaneously introduces a complex web of underexplored privacy and security risks. This paper from USENIX Security delves deep into these challenges, providing an empirical investigation into how eSIM adoption impacts user privacy across key vectors: routing transparency, reseller access, and profile control.

AI review

Solid empirical work that systematically exposes the privacy mess hiding behind eSIM convenience. The routing analysis, reseller ecosystem teardown, and profile lifecycle failure modes are all real contributions. Not a novel exploit class, but it's the first rigorous look at an ecosystem most researchers have ignored.