AT&T Data Breach: What Happened and What You Need to Know
Overview
AT&T recently disclosed a data breach that has affected millions of current and former account holders. The breach exposed personal information of around 73 million users, including sensitive data such as social security numbers, addresses, and passwords.
Details of the Leak
- The leaked information includes social security numbers, addresses, and passwords.
- The dataset was discovered on the “dark web” approximately two weeks ago.
- Additional data may include full names, email and mailing addresses, phone numbers, and birth dates.
Impact of the Breach
The breach has affected approximately 7.6 million current account holders and 65.4 million former account holders. AT&T has taken steps to notify affected customers and has engaged cybersecurity experts to investigate the incident.
Response and Actions Taken
AT&T has changed passwords for current users and is in the process of notifying individuals whose personal data was compromised. The company advises customers to monitor account activity and credit reports as a precautionary measure.
Origin of the Data
The data set is believed to be from 2019 or earlier, but its source, whether from AT&T or a vendor, remains unclear. AT&T emphasizes that the breach has not impacted its operational functions.
Expert Insights
Cybersecurity researcher Troy Hunt highlighted similarities between this breach and a previous incident in 2021. Hunt warned that failure to notify affected customers promptly could lead to potential legal actions against the company.
AT&T Network and Recent Outage
AT&T, known for its extensive wireless 5G network covering millions of users in the US, faced a recent outage affecting thousands of customers. The outage, attributed to a technical coding error, is under federal investigation but was not deemed a deliberate attack.
