Over 70 million current and former AT&T customers hacked, expert says victims need to consistently monitor credit activity
AT&T sent out a note to some current and former customers this week, including to individuals in St. Louis, apologizing for a data breach that they say affected over 70 million people, compromising personal data, including social security numbers. AT&T has reported a data breach that affected over 70 million current and former customers, including individuals in St. Louis, Missouri, and others, affecting personal data, including social security numbers. The company sent out a note to current and ex-customers apologizing for the breach, stating that names, phone numbers, addresses, passcodes, and even Social Security numbers may have been stolen. Australian Troy Hunt, founder of "Have I Been Pwned," has warned that data breaches continue to increase as more of people's personal lives are online. He urges consumers to monitor credit activity and not to trust the company. Hunt is most concerned about individuals whose Social Security Numbers were stolen, particularly those whose data is now being circulated on the dark web.
Published : 2 months ago by Jon Kipper in Tech
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - AT&T sent out a note to some current and former customers this week, including to individuals in St. Louis, apologizing for a data breach that they say affected over 70 million people, compromising personal data, including social security numbers.
“Doesn’t matter where you are in the world if you’re on the internet, you’re a target,” said Troy Hunt.
Troy Hunt, based in Australia, founded a company that aims to inform people if and how their data was compromised. It’s called “Have I Been Pwned.”
He said hacks and data breaches continue to increase as more of people’s personal lives are online. In fact, it was AT&T’s second breach over a four-year period.
“They might have quite a challenge trying to rationalize why this wasn’t dealt with in 2021,” said Hunt.
The company says names, phone numbers, addresses, passcodes, and even Social Security numbers may have been hacked.
According to Hunt, that information is now on the dark web, widely circulated.
“Thousands, if not tens of thousands of people now have access to this data, so I’d be wary if I was in that dataset,” said Hunt.
AT&T isn’t specifically informing individual customers about what hackers stole from them. Hunt is most concerned about the individuals whose Social Security numbers were stolen.
He said that if you’re informed you’ve been hacked, get on credit monitoring services and watch for any unusual activity.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we see AT&T turn around and offer those to people; that’s something that frequently happens after data breaches,” said Hunt.
This comes as local governments also struggle to keep up with hackers. Over the past year, St. Louis County, Metro Transit, and Francis Howell Schools all fell victim to cyberattacks.
Hunt hopes people are more mindful of what they share online.
“Think about your digital footprint in general and be extra vigilant all the time,” said Hunt.
AT&T says they have reset customer passcodes and have taken other precautionary measures.
Topics: Security, Security Breach