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Another day, another data breach. These days, data breaches seem not just frequent but inevitable–and the recent AT&T data breach serves as a chilling reminder of our vulnerabilities online.
This massive incident left 73 million individuals, both current and former AT&T customers, exposed on the dark web. The breach included sensitive information like physical addresses, phone numbers, and US social security numbers.
In this article, we share all the details of the AT&T mobile data breach, show you how to know if you were affected, and highlight ways to protect yourself from future data breaches.
Let’s explore the recent AT&T data breach.
73 million AT&T current and past account holders had their personal information exposed on the dark web due to a data attack. This breach exposed users' names, email addresses, mailing addresses, phone numbers, birthdates, and SSNs–as well as their AT&T account numbers and four-digit passcodes. Reports suggest that users' personal financial information was not exposed.
Investigations are still ongoing to uncover whether the data breach was a direct attack on AT&T or whether it was through a third-party vendor.
The breach affected approximately 73 million AT&T account holders. Experts have disclosed that over 65 million affected account holders are former account holders.
The full extent of the breach will only be uncovered when ongoing investigations are completed. It’s still possible that affected customers could be well above 73 million, considering that in 2021, a hacking group claimed they had the personal data of over 70 million AT&T customers for sale.
AT&T is collaborating with internal and external cybersecurity experts to launch a robust investigation into how the data got leaked. Some say that the source of the leak is a third-party vendor, like in the 2023 data breach, but this has not been verified yet.
Data breach statistics from IBM show that the average lifecycle from detection to investigations and containment is usually 277 days, so the investigations may take several months to answer everyone’s questions.
The data exposed in the AT&T data breach included personally identifiable information such as email addresses, customer mailing addresses, phone numbers, birthdates, social security numbers, AT&T account numbers, and passcodes.
However, AT&T disclosed that the passcodes were encrypted and that no personal financial information and call histories were exposed. However, investigations are still ongoing.
AT&T has taken steps to help its customers, especially those impacted by the recent breach. The telecommunication giant has sent its customers emails and letters detailing the breach. It has reset passcodes for user accounts and offered free credit monitoring and identity theft monitoring to affected customers for one year to monitor for suspicious transactions on accounts related to them.
These measures may reduce the impact of the breach, but there is still the risk of users' personal information being used for fraudulent activities.
To fully protect yourself against these types of data leaks and exposure, you should consider masked emails and phone number services. These services provide you with disposable phone numbers and email addresses that cannot be traced.
Cloaked is the best platform for this service. It is a privacy-first platform that gives users complete anonymity online. Cloaked lets you create unlimited identities for different online accounts, so you can have two sets of masked emails, phone numbers, and usernames for Spotify and Netflix and a different one for booking Airbnb.
Cloaked also has the security to back up. It has three different levels of security for users: client-side encryption, zero-knowledge access, and user-unique databases. These security features ensure that only you can access your accounts. They also ensure that Cloaked and Cloaked’s employees have no access to your passwords, and there’s an encrypted barrier between Cloaked and your stored data.
Remember: with Cloaked, you're not just defending your data but also advocating for your digital autonomy.
Protect yourself from future breaches with Cloaked.
AT&T has had breaches like this before. For example, in 2023, 9 million AT&T customers had their customer proprietary network information (CPNI) compromised due to a third-party vendor breach.
In 2021, a hacking group—ShinyHunters—was also selling the personal data of more than 70 million AT&T users. Considering the similarities between this 2021 breach and the current data exposure in 2024, it’s not far-fetched to conclude that the two are related, but AT&T has said that there’s no connection between them.
One difference between this data breach and the others? This was the first one where AT&T openly admitted that leaked data belonged to their customers.
As of 10th April 2024, AT&T has already been hit with dozens of class action lawsuits. PCMag reports that at least 30 lawsuits have already been filed against AT&T in Texas, with the majority of them calling out AT&T for not protecting their data.
The plaintiffs also insist that there’s a high likelihood that the breach will still cause financial losses in the future. This is likely true, considering the fact that investigations reveal that the exposed data may date back further than 2019 which was initially disclosed.
Yes, your data might be out there. AT&T's admission of this breach highlights a sobering reality: data privacy is more of a hope than a guarantee in today's world. With information from as far back as 2019 compromised, including Social Security numbers and detailed personal data, the breach underscores the ever-present threat lurking in the shadows of our digital lives.
The fact that this extensive amount of data was leaked to the dark web adds a layer of urgency and concern. It means that this information is now potentially in the hands of individuals with malicious intent, making the consequences of this breach far-reaching.
For many, the immediate question is, "Was I affected?" Given the scale of this breach, it's a valid concern. AT&T has been proactive, reaching out to the 7.6 million current customers affected to reset passcodes and taking steps to inform the staggering 65.4 million former customers impacted.
AT&T encourages visiting their account safety page. It's a move that reflects a growing need for individuals to take charge of their own digital footprints.
So, what now? First off, breathe. Panicking never helped anyone.
First, block the hacker’s access to your AT&T accounts by replacing your old passwords with stronger ones. But you shouldn’t stop at changing your AT&T password and passcodes. What if your account gets breached again?
Consider your digital privacy strategy moving forward. Don't rely solely on the platforms you use to protect your data. By implementing a strong digital privacy strategy, you take control and become the driver of your online privacy.
This means third parties will only have access to the information you choose to share, and you'll be equipped with current data privacy tips to reduce your chances of falling victim to phishing and brushing scams, major sources of data breaches today.
In a twist of irony, AT&T's past with data privacy—like the vendor-related hack last year exposing CPNI data—mirrors the continuous battle between personal privacy and digital convenience. This breach is a wake-up call and a blaring alarm for anyone online. It shows us that online data privacy is a must and not an option. It’s not something that we should put off for later because one can never be so sure.
History and data trends show that even multinational corporations with robust security architecture could still get breached. So you need to take your data privacy into your own hands. While limiting the information you share online, you could also ensure that none of your online activity can be linked to you with online anonymity services.
But if you’ve already been breached, your focus should be limiting the impact. Change all the passwords to your accounts and strictly monitor your bank accounts for irregularities. Following the period of the breach, you should also be mindful of social media interactions with strangers, as they could be bad actors intending to use social engineering techniques to gain full access to your accounts.
Next, consider your digital strategy moving forward. What do you plan to do to ensure you’re never breached again? Let’s talk about being proactive rather than reactive. The AT&T breach news is worrying, but it's also an opportunity—an opportunity to reassess, reinforce, and reclaim your digital privacy. And the truth is, you can’t do this on your own. You need verified privacy platforms like Cloaked.
Data breaches will happen, so you must proactively implement measures to ensure your online safety. This is where Cloaked steps in. Think of Cloaked not just as your guardian but as your proactive protector in the murky waters of the internet.
In the aftermath of the AT&T data breach, it’s crystal clear that traditional approaches to digital privacy aren't cutting it. You need a solution that evolves as quickly as the threats do. Your best bet is to use a strong password manager like Cloaked.
Cloaked takes password management to the next level. It creates, saves, and securely manages passwords. Cloaked also supports passwords and forms auto-fill, so you never need to remember multiple passwords. It also syncs these passwords across all your devices, so you’re safe regardless of your device or browser.
Cloaked also offers complete privacy by anonymizing your personal information like offering masked phone numbers, so your most sensitive information remains secure even if data breaches happen. With features like email masking and robust $1 million identity theft protection, Cloaked is more than just a service—it's peace of mind.
Here are some other privacy features Cloaked offers:
Let’s answer some of the most commonly asked questions on the AT&T data breach.
Yes, AT&T had a data breach that exposed the data of approximately 73 million users.
T-Mobile, another telecommunications giant in the industry, experienced three eventful breaches in 2023, exposing customer data. It was disclosed that one of these breaches resulted from a supposed “system glitch.”
Also, one of the breaches that occurred in January 2023 affected 37 million customer data. This time, the breach resulted from weak API security.
If you were affected by AT&T, you should have received an email or a letter directly from AT&T.
If you’re concerned about whether your data has been breached, you can check here
If your data has been breached, you can report it to AT&T customer service for guidance and the relevant authorities for identity theft protection.
The AT&T data breach is just one of the many significant data breaches this year. The mother of data breaches happened in the first quarter of the year. There was also the Temu data breach that affected tons of users of the popular Chinese marketplace. You need to protect yourself now more than ever.
If you're unsure about your data privacy, try Cloaked for a 14-day free trial. Think of it as your digital invisibility cloak against threats like the AT&T breach.
Cloaked offers advanced privacy features from identity theft protection to an encrypted password manager and unlimited anonymous identities designed to make your personal information inaccessible to unauthorized third parties.
Whether your digital privacy focus is password management or anonymity online, Cloaked gives you all the tools you need.
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