There has been a major breach of privacy at AT&T, as hackers managed to access the phone records of almost all of its customers, and it is not a good look for the company. According to the network provider, the data breach snatched not only cellular records but also landline numbers along with text messages. The data breach stretches from May 1, 2022, to October 31, 2022, which means that hackers now have over six months of phone records of AT&T customers.
Hackers managed to steal phone records and text messages of nearly all customers, the incident is currently under investigation
Note that AT&T also states that the breach also managed to steal phone numbers from January 2, 2023, which is a recent time frame compared to the bigger pool mentioned earlier. The company does not have any idea how much data has been stolen and the impact of the breach on the customers. Other cellular carriers that are associated with AT&T are also a victim of the scene, as their phone records have also been snatched.
Other than this, the records also included cell site identification numbers, which were linked to the calls and texts shared during the time frame. If you are not familiar, the data can be used to map out the location where the call was made or from where the message was sent. AT&T mentions that only the call records have been hacked, and the contents of the calls or text messages are safe, which is one plus from the entire scenario.
The network provider took note of the data breach on April 19 and also stated that the breach had nothing to do with an earlier security threat that took place in March. The data, according to the sources, has not yet been made public, and the company is working with the proper authorities to identify people involved in the situation. So far, the report suggests that one person has been arrested.
The network issuer told TechCrunch that the recent breach of customer records was from the cloud data giant Snowflake, which had been a target of hackers in recent times. Based on the initial investigation by the Cybersecurity researchers at Mandiant, the hackers are potentially based in the United States. After AT&T's data breach, the company published a support article for users who are worried about phishing and smashing scams. The support document includes advice from professionals on how to protect yourself from online theft.
