Techniques for protecting a configuration of a modem of a mobile device are provided. These techniques include a method that includes receiving a modem control command at a terminal interface of the modem and authenticating the modem control command by determining an authentication level currently associated with the modem, determining a command type associated with the modem control command, and executing an authentication procedure based on the authentication level associated with the modem and the command type associated with the modem control command. The method also includes executing the modem control command responsive to authentication being successful and preventing execution of the modem control command responsive to the authentication being unsuccessful.