AT&T, a telecommunications company, disclosed on March 30th that a dataset leaked on the “dark web” approximately two weeks ago has affected roughly 7.6 million existing account holders and 65.4 million former account holders, according to the initial analysis conducted by the company.
According to AT&T’s statement, the dataset appears to date back to 2019 or earlier. The company clarified that it has not found any evidence of unauthorized access to its systems resulting from this incident. Furthermore, AT&T mentioned that it has yet to determine whether the leaked data originated from its own databases or from one of its vendors.
AT&T emphasized that this incident has not had a significant impact on its day-to-day operations. The company is still investigating the source of the leaked data to ascertain its authenticity and origin.
In response to the breach, AT&T has taken proactive measures to address the situation. The company has reached out to all affected individuals and has reset passcodes for approximately 7.6 million current customers. Additionally, AT&T has pledged to provide credit monitoring services to those impacted, wherever applicable.
It’s important to note that AT&T boasts a broad reach in the telecommunications sector, with its 5G network covering approximately 290 million people across the United States. Despite the recent breach, AT&T assures its customers that its network operations remain unaffected, and it continues to provide uninterrupted service to its users.
This disclosure from AT&T comes shortly after a February outage that disrupted calls and text messages for thousands of users in the United States. The outage prompted federal investigations into the cause and highlighted the importance of robust cybersecurity measures within the telecommunications industry.
In summary, AT&T is actively addressing the recent data breach by reaching out to affected individuals, resetting passcodes, and offering credit monitoring services. The company reassures its customers that its network operations remain stable despite the incident, underscoring its commitment to providing reliable telecommunications services.
