Data Belonging to 73 Million AT&T Customers Leaked On The Dark Web

AT&T disclosed that data belonging to around 73 million current and former customers has been leaked on the dark web, comprising sensitive information like social security numbers and other personal data. The telecom giant revealed that the dataset seems to be from 2019 or earlier, impacting approximately 7.6 million current AT&T account holders and roughly 65.4 million former account holders.

Despite the gravity of the situation, AT&T chose the Easter holiday weekend to quietly inform the public about the breach, which surfaced about two weeks prior. The company stated that while some data fields were linked to AT&T, it's uncertain if they originated from AT&T itself or one of its vendors. Moreover, the source of other personal information, such as social security numbers, is still being investigated.

AT&T assured that a thorough investigation is underway, with internal and external cybersecurity teams collaborating to assess the situation. The company emphasized that there's no evidence of unauthorized access to its systems leading to data exfiltration. Nevertheless, it's taking proactive steps by communicating with affected individuals and offering credit monitoring where necessary.

Despite this breach, AT&T stated that it hasn't materially affected its operations. However, this isn't the first security incident for the telecom giant. In March 2023, AT&T notified approximately 9 million wireless customers about a data breach involving customer proprietary network information (CPNI) at a third-party vendor.

Moreover, AT&T faced another challenge when it experienced a widespread outage that disrupted cellphone services for many customers across the US. The company clarified that this outage wasn't the result of a cyberattack.