Method and apparatus for protecting a circuit module in a communication device

Generally, this invention relates to communication devices which use subscriber identification module (SIM) cards for identification purposes, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for protecting a SIM card. A method for protecting a circuit module in a communication device includes first detecting whether a circuit module is present in the communication device. A next step includes measuring a supply voltage to the communication device. A next step includes comparing the supply voltage to a predetermined threshold voltage. When the supply voltage is below the threshold, a next step includes supplying normal functionality to the phone and returning to the comparing step. However, when the supply voltage is above the threshold, a next step includes powering down a connection to the SIM card to limit functionality of the communication device.