AT&T Data Breach: Hackers Steal 6 Months’ Worth of Call and Text Message Records of Nearly Every Customer
Hackers have stolen six months’ worth of call and text message records of nearly every AT&T cellular network customer, the company revealed on Friday. In an SEC filing, AT&T disclosed that hackers gained unauthorized access to and copied call logs stored on a third-party cloud platform.
The stolen data includes records of calls and texts between approximately May 1 and October 31, 2022, as well as on January 2, 2023. While the content of the communication was not compromised and customers’ personal information was not accessed, the records did contain phone numbers. This breach highlights the massive cybersecurity challenge faced by large corporations.
AT&T’s wireless network serves 127 million devices, according to the company’s 2023 annual report. Although the data does not include customer names, AT&T acknowledged that it may be possible to determine the names associated with specific phone numbers using publicly available online tools.
The company stated that it has implemented additional cybersecurity measures in response to the breach and is working with law enforcement to track down the hackers responsible. AT&T reassured customers that the data is not believed to be publicly available at this time.
The U.S. Justice Department mandated that AT&T disclose details of the hack, which occurred on May 8 and June 5, after a delay. The company stated that the incident will not impact its operations or financial results.
Authorities have made at least one arrest in connection with the hack, according to AT&T. The company urged customers to stay informed as this is a developing story.