AT&T Massive Data Breach – Nearly All Customers Call and Text Logs Leaked

AT&T, one of the largest telecommunications companies in the United States, disclosed on Wednesday that it had suffered a significant data breach exposing the call and text message logs of tens of millions of its cellphone customers.

The breach, which the company attributed to an “unlawful acquisition” on a third-party cloud service, was discovered in April while AT&T was dealing with another unrelated data breach.

According to AT&T report, the compromised data includes the phone numbers of “virtually all” cellular subscribers and those using mobile virtual network operators under AT&T’s network from May 1, 2022, to October 31, 2022.

A few customers on January 2, 2023, were also affected. By the end of 2022, AT&T reported having around 110 million wireless customers, including landline users associated with the affected cell numbers.

While customer names were not part of the exposed information, AT&T acknowledged that common tools could potentially match names to specific phone numbers.

Data Involved in AT&T Breach:

• Call and text records identifying phone numbers that interacted with AT&T numbers, including landlines, from May to October 2022
• Counts of calls or texts and total call durations for specific days or months
• AT&T to notify affected current and former customers

Data Not Involved:

• Content of calls or texts
• Time stamps for calls or texts
• Personal details like Social Security numbers, birthdates, or other identifying information
• Customer names, although they can potentially be linked to phone numbers using public online tools

Additionally, a subset of records revealed one or more cell site identification numbers linked to calls and messages, potentially disclosing the general locations of the parties involved.

AT&T assured customers that the breach did not compromise the actual content of communications or personal data such as Social Security numbers or birthdates.

Details like call times were also unaffected. The company pledged to notify impacted current and former subscribers and provide necessary support to safeguard their data.

The company clarified that this recent incident is unrelated to a prior one disclosed in March, where personal details of 73 million customers were exposed on the dark web. In April, AT&T identified the illicit download of customer data in its workspace on Snowflake, a third-party cloud service, in the latest breach.

On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that it has initiated an investigation into a colossal data breach at AT&T Inc., one of the nation’s largest telecommunications providers. The hack ranks among the most significant breaches of private communications data in recent history.

The company subsequently initiated an inquiry, engaged cybersecurity specialists, and closed the unauthorized access point.

AT&T is collaborating with law enforcement to pursue the perpetrators. Reports indicate that at least one individual has been apprehended in connection with the breach. The company expressed regret over the incident and reiterated its commitment to securing customer data.

The breach has raised concerns among privacy advocates and cybersecurity experts about the security measures in place at major telecommunications companies.

The incident will likely prompt further scrutiny from regulators and lawmakers, who have been increasingly focused on data privacy and security issues in recent years.

AT&T customers are advised to remain vigilant and monitor their accounts for any suspicious activity. The company has set up a dedicated website and hotline to provide information and support to affected customers.

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