AT&T Finally Admits To Massive Data Breach Which Reportedly Affected 65.4M Customers: '... Passcodes Have Been Compromised' - AT&T (NYSE:T)

AT&T Inc. T has acknowledged a significant data breach that has impacted millions of its customers, saying their passcodes have been compromised.

What Happened: During the weekend, the telecommunications company confirmed that “a number of AT&T passcodes have been compromised.”

It further stated that they have taken steps to reset passcodes for 7.6 million of its current customers and are reaching out to additional current and former “account holders with compromised sensitive personal information.”

The breach, which occurred over two years ago, has resulted in the theft of passcodes, names, dates of birth, home addresses, phone numbers, and Social Security numbers, reported AppleInsider, noting that the vast majority of the compromised passwords are associated with approximately 65.4 million present and past AT&T customers.

However, AT&T has stated that no personal financial information or call history were affected by the breach. “To the best of our knowledge, the compromised data appears to be from 2019 or earlier and does not contain personal financial information or call history.”

The stolen data was initially reported on hacker forums in 2021, a claim that AT&T had refuted, the report noted.

AT&T has set up a new webpage to inform customers about the incident and provide tips on securing their accounts. The company has also stated that it is working with external cybersecurity experts to analyze the situation and is offering complimentary identity theft and credit monitoring services to affected customers.

“If your information was impacted, you will be receiving an email or letter from us explaining the incident, what information was compromised, and what we are doing for you in response,” the company said.

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Why It Matters: This is not the first time AT&T has been embroiled in a data breach.

Last year in April, hackers targeted users with AT&T email addresses, gaining access to cryptocurrency exchanges and stealing digital assets. This latest breach raises concerns about the company’s cybersecurity measures and its ability to protect customer data.

The AT&T breach is part of a larger trend of increased cybercrime and data breaches affecting major companies and their customers. In 2023, notable cyberattacks occurred, with one targeting the U.S. State Department standing out among them.

According to projections by Statista, the worldwide expense attributed to cybercrime is anticipated to surge to $23.84 trillion by 2027, marking a significant increase from the $8.44 trillion recorded in 2022.

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