In a stark reminder of the digital age’s vulnerabilities, AT&T announced Saturday that it is investigating a recent incident that led to millions of customers’ data being exposed on the dark web. The dark web, known for its encrypted and often illicit activities, became an unintended repository of personal information for 7.6 million current users and 65.4 million former account holders.
AT&T swiftly responded to the breach by resetting the passcodes of affected current users and is actively reaching out to all impacted customers. Despite the scale of the data exposure, the company assured the public that its operations remain largely unaffected by the incident.
The leaked data, originating from approximately 2019 or earlier, included sensitive personal information such as names, home addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers. Notably absent from the compromised data were personal financial information and call histories.
AT&T has taken proactive measures to mitigate potential fallout from the breach, encouraging affected users to set up fraud alert accounts and monitor their account activity and credit reports. The company is also working diligently to identify the source of the leak.
This incident comes on the heels of another challenge for AT&T, as in February, the company’s customers experienced a widespread cellular outage lasting several hours. The outage was later attributed to a system issue rather than a cyberattack. In response, AT&T’s CEO, John Stankey, issued a public apology and offered customer credits to those affected.
While AT&T continues to investigate this latest incident and works to secure its customers’ data, the breach serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of vigilance in an increasingly digital world.
(Source: ABC | Washington Post | CNET)
