AT&T recently announced that it has discovered a data breach affecting millions of its customers. The telecommunications company said that personal information, such as Social Security numbers, for about 7.6 million current account holders and 65.4 million former account holders was found on the dark web.
The stolen data, which dates back to 2019 or earlier, does not include financial information or call history. However, it may include passcodes, email and mailing addresses, phone numbers, and birth dates. AT&T has already reset passcodes for current users and is in the process of notifying affected customers.
Cybersecurity researcher Troy Hunt pointed out that this data breach closely resembles a similar incident in 2021 that AT&T never publicly acknowledged. If the company failed to properly assess and address the breach, it could face potential class action lawsuits in the future.
This data breach is the latest in a series of challenges for AT&T this year. In February, the company experienced a widespread outage that impacted thousands of U.S. users. AT&T attributed the incident to a technical coding error rather than a malicious attack.
At this time, AT&T has not provided further details about the source of the data breach or how it plans to prevent similar incidents in the future. It is crucial for affected customers to remain vigilant and monitor their accounts for any suspicious activity.
If you are an AT&T customer and believe you may be affected by this data breach, it is important to follow any instructions provided by the company and take steps to protect your personal information. Stay informed about any updates regarding this incident and consider implementing additional security measures to safeguard your data.
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