AT&T has revealed a major security breach that compromised the call and text records of “nearly all” its customers.
The telecommunications giant revealed that a hacker gained unauthorized access to call and text records of its customers, raising serious concerns about privacy and personal data protection as more and more businesses collect this information online.
The breach, reported in an SEC filing on April 19, 2024, involved the illegal access and copying of AT&T call logs. The company’s investigation uncovered that the hacker had infiltrated an AT&T workspace on a third-party cloud platform, exposing customer data from May 1 to October 31, 2022. A small number of customers were also affected on January 2, 2023.
The scope of this breach is staggering. It encompasses records for AT&T’s cellular customers, mobile virtual network operators using AT&T’s wireless network, and even AT&T’s landline customers who interacted with affected cellular numbers.
While the stolen data doesn’t include the content of calls or messages, it does contain sensitive information. The compromised records show which phone numbers interacted with AT&T numbers, how often, and for how long.
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As AT&T noted in their statement, “There are often ways to find the name associated with a specific telephone number through certain publicly available online tools.”
This means that while names weren’t directly stolen, determined bad actors could potentially link numbers to individuals.
This @ATT breach is one of the worst if not the worst breach of a cellular service provider ever due to a hacker or hackers having NSA-level information. Nearly all customers and people who they interacted with are all victims. While it's not a good look on AT&T, it seems hackers…
— Tyler Metcalf (@tymetwx) July 12, 2024
The company has taken steps to address the breach, including closing off the point of unauthorized access and engaging cybersecurity experts. AT&T stated, “We have engaged leading cybersecurity experts to understand the nature and scope of the criminal activity.”
Law enforcement is also involved, with one arrest made and ongoing efforts to apprehend others connected to the breach.
This incident is part of a concerning pattern for AT&T. It follows closely on the heels of another significant data breach in March, which exposed 73 million current and former account details on the dark web. The company has also faced service disruptions, including a widespread network outage in February that lasted about 10 hours, followed by another incident in June.
These repeated security and service issues highlight the urgent need for stronger data protection measures in the telecommunications industry.
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As our lives become increasingly digital, the security of our personal information must be a top priority for service providers.
Customers should remain vigilant about their personal data and consider taking protective measures such as monitoring their accounts for suspicious activity and being cautious about sharing sensitive information over phone or text.
