Oct 25, 2026 · 22 min · 11 segments
On this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah answers a question from Otis, who relies on the 6-digit text-message codes his bank sends at sign-in but has started to worry about SIM swap attacks, and wants…
Mikah SargentHost
Otis has written in with the following, Hey Micah, my bank texts me a six digit code every time I sign in.
Then I read a story about people having their phone numbers stolen right out from under them, something the writer called a SIM swap.
If someone can take over my number, are those text codes worth anything? And is there something I can do at the carrier to lock my number down? Otis from Corpus Christi, Texas.
Well, Otis, I have to say, Very good question, and something that I hear a lot.
I hear a lot of people asking about this because they go, look, I'm already doing the annoying thing of setting up these two-factor codes, so is this actually safe, or is this serving no purpose? Well, the fact is, it absolutely is serving a purpose.
I shouldn't say in most cases, but in a lot of ways, you are absolutely more protected than you would be without some sort of second form of authentication.
But just how much more protected are you? The first thing that I want to tell you, Otis, is do this.
Keep the codes because they will stop the most common types of break-ins, which are, of course, someone stealing your password through some means.
And I also wanna say that if your bank offers something stronger, you should switch to it.
If you're not sure, reach out to your bank and ask if they have another means of authenticating yourself.
If that is the case, try that instead, because while it is more secure than not having another factor of authentication, it is one of the least secure methods.
And therefore, it is not the gold standard when it comes to protecting yourself.
Otis has written in with the following, Hey Micah, my bank texts me a six digit code every time I sign in.
Then I read a story about people having their phone numbers stolen right out from under them, something the writer called a SIM swap.
If someone can take over my number, are those text codes worth anything? And is there something I can do at the carrier to lock my number down? Otis from Corpus Christi, Texas.
Well, Otis, I have to say, Very good question, and something that I hear a lot.
I hear a lot of people asking about this because they go, look, I'm already doing the annoying thing of setting up these two-factor codes, so is this actually safe, or is this serving no purpose? Well, the fact is, it absolutely is serving a purpose.
I shouldn't say in most cases, but in a lot of ways, you are absolutely more protected than you would be without some sort of second form of authentication.
But just how much more protected are you? The first thing that I want to tell you, Otis, is do this.
Keep the codes because they will stop the most common types of break-ins, which are, of course, someone stealing your password through some means.
And I also wanna say that if your bank offers something stronger, you should switch to it.
If you're not sure, reach out to your bank and ask if they have another means of authenticating yourself.
If that is the case, try that instead, because while it is more secure than not having another factor of authentication, it is one of the least secure methods.
And therefore, it is not the gold standard when it comes to protecting yourself.
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