Millions of AT&T customers are reeling after the company confirmed a major data leak impacting a staggering 73 million current and former subscribers. The telecom giant launched a full investigation on Saturday, scrambling to determine the source of the breach and mitigate potential damage.
The leaked data, discovered on the dark web, reportedly includes sensitive information like Social Security numbers, raising significant concerns about identity theft and fraud. While the exact origin remains unclear, AT&T maintains they haven’t found evidence of a direct system intrusion. The leaked data appears to be from 2019 or earlier and thankfully doesn’t seem to involve financial details or call history specifics.
Despite this, the breach exposes a vast number of individuals. AT&T is proactively contacting affected customers, urging them to reset their account passcodes and stay vigilant for any suspicious activity regarding their accounts or credit reports. As an additional measure, the company will be offering credit monitoring services to those at risk.
This isn’t the first time AT&T has faced data breach allegations. Back in March 2023, a similar incident involving 70 million customers surfaced on a hacking forum. However, AT&T dismissed those claims, insisting the data wasn’t compromised from their systems. Now, with this latest revelation, cybersecurity experts are questioning AT&T’s initial assessment. A potential delay in notifying impacted customers could have serious consequences and expose the company to legal action.
Adding to the woes, AT&T recently faced a service outage that disrupted mobile phone service for thousands of users. While attributed to a coding error, the incident highlighted potential vulnerabilities within the company’s infrastructure.
The AT&T data breach serves as a stark reminder of the ever-present threat of cyberattacks. As millions of customers grapple with the potential fallout, AT&T faces the daunting task of restoring trust, strengthening its security measures, and ensuring transparency throughout the investigation.
