In a recent statement, AT&T, the largest telecommunications company in the United States, revealed that they discovered a dataset for sale on the dark web. This dataset contained information for about 7.6 million current AT&T account holders and 65.4 million former users, affecting approximately 73 million accounts in total.
The exposed data includes passcodes (PIN numbers) and Social Security numbers from 2019 or earlier. While it does not contain any personal financial information or call history, it may include email and mailing addresses, phone numbers, and birthdates.
AT&T has contacted all affected customers via email or mail to inform them of the breach and to prompt a passcode reset. If you are an AT&T customer, be cautious of any emails asking you to change your password. Verify that it is from AT&T, as cybercriminals may exploit this situation by sending fake emails with malicious links. If you are unsure about the authenticity of an email, call AT&T support and request a new reset link while on the phone with them.
The origin of the breach is still unknown, and it is unclear whether it came from AT&T or one of its vendors. AT&T has launched an investigation and will likely hire computer forensics specialists to determine the cause of the incident.
The company will also need to remove any installed malware from its customer account system software without disrupting unaffected customers' service. The investigation, cleanup, lawsuits, legal fees, and more will make this a costly issue to resolve.
At The MacGuys+, we emphasize the importance of proactive cybersecurity. While no solution is completely impenetrable, most are robust enough to deter the majority of hackers. It is far more costly to address the consequences of a cyberattack than to prevent one in the first place.
If you are concerned about your organization’s security, request a Discovery Call from our team of cybersecurity experts.
Hackers will do whatever it takes to break into your network. Your job as the CEO is to do whatever it takes to keep them out. We are here to help! Click here to book your Discovery Call with one of our cybersecurity experts, or call our office at 763-331-6227.
