Hackers Steal Call Records of Nearly All AT&T Customers
In a significant security breach, hackers have stolen call and text records of “nearly all” 109 million AT&T Wireless customers, the telecommunications giant revealed on Friday. The data, covering interactions from May to October 2022, was illicitly accessed and transferred to a third-party platform in April of this year.
Although the content of the calls and texts wasn’t compromised, the stolen records included details such as the contacted numbers and the duration of interactions, AT&T clarified. Following the breach, one suspect has been apprehended.
The Justice Department supported the delayed disclosure of the breach, citing national security concerns. “We deeply regret this incident and are dedicated to safeguarding the information we manage,” AT&T expressed in an official statement.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, AT&T assured that it had fortified its systems to prevent similar breaches in the future. The company also emphasized that the stolen data was not publicly available.
The breach was first detected five days after it began on April 14, and it continued until April 25. Security experts have cautioned that the exposed information could be used to infer workplaces, approximate home locations, and identify colleagues and friends.
This incident follows another data breach earlier this year, where AT&T disclosed that information from 2019 belonging to 73 million past and present customers had been stolen and sold on the dark web.
AT&T has committed to notifying affected customers. Users can also log into their accounts to check if their data was compromised and request a detailed report outlining the extent of the breach. The company advised users to be wary of unsolicited emails or texts asking for personal information.
