On Saturday, March 30, 2024, telecommunications company AT&T announced a massive data leak that may have affected 7.6 million AT&T account holders and up to 65.4 million former account holders.
In a news release, the company confirmed that the dataset leaked on the dark web two weeks ago contained AT&T data-specific fields. AT&T reported that the source of the leak is still unknown, and they are not sure whether it originated from the company or a vendor.
CNN reported that the dataset may have been from 2019 or earlier; however, this is still under investigation. This breach comes too soon after the January 2023 data breach that affected 9 million account holders.
The following highly sensitive data of past and current account holders may be at risk, including:
- Social Security number
- Passcode
- First and last name
- Date of birth
- Account number
- Email address
- Mailing address
- Phone number
AT&T started alerting those affected via email and mail on Saturday, March 30. The company does not believe that financial information was exposed.
According to NBC, the company has experienced several big data breaches over the last few years. Interestingly, a data crime monitoring company based in Australia noted similarities between this most recent breach and a 2021 data breach, for which the company just recently acknowledged that the data of millions of account holders was compromised.
If it were found that this was indeed the same breach, this would indicate that the company was aware of the leak for that time frame and did not notify those affected or address the issue.
How can this data breach affect me?
Since Social Security numbers were exposed in the breach, the threat of identity theft, fraud, and financial ruin is significant.
What is AT&T doing for those impacted by the data breach?
The company reported that it has reset the passcodes of current accounts. They are also providing credit monitoring services for those potentially affected.
I received notification that my data was compromised. What should I do?
– Reset your bank account passcode.
– Monitor your credit and financial information diligently.
- Pay close attention to any unusual activity, including new accounts, and report that activity immediately to the financial institution.
- Speak to an experienced attorney to explore your legal options.
The law firm CaseyGerry is investigating this data breach and speaking to those who may be affected. If you or someone you know is a current or former AT&T account holder and you have received a notice of the breach, please contact our data breach attorneys at (619) 238-1811 to learn more about what you can do to protect your rights to data safety.
