Following a massive data breach that exposed the records of more than 73 million current and former customers, AT&T has reset account passcodes for millions of affected users.
tech crunch report Telecommunications giant AT&T has bulk-passed millions of customer accounts after a TechCrunch alert that a vast cache of leaked data containing encrypted passcodes and other sensitive information was dumped online earlier this month. A code reset has started. The leaked data is believed to date back to 2019 or earlier and affects approximately 7.6 million current AT&T account holders and an additional 65.4 million former account holders, according to a statement from the company on Saturday. That’s what it means.
The decision to reset customer account passcodes came after security researchers who analyzed the leaked data reported to TechCrunch that encrypted passcodes were easily crackable. AT&T has launched a comprehensive investigation with the assistance of internal and external cybersecurity experts to determine the scope of the breach and potential impact to customers.
AT&T says there is no evidence of unauthorized access to its systems that led to the data set being compromised, but it has not yet confirmed whether the data came from AT&T itself or one of its vendors. not. The leaked data includes a wide range of sensitive customer information, including encrypted account passcodes, as well as names, home addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers.
Sam “Chick3nman” Croley, security researchers who investigated the leaked data found that encrypted passcodes could be reverse engineered by correlating them with surrounding account data, such as a customer’s date of birth, residence number, or part of their Social Security number. did. This revelation prompted AT&T to take immediate action to protect customer accounts.
As a precautionary measure, AT&T plans to contact all 7.6 million existing customers whose passcodes were reset, as well as current and former customers whose personal information was compromised. The company also provided guidance on how to keep customers’ accounts safe following this incident.
If you are a current or former AT&T customer, you should determine how this breach affects your privacy, and current customers should ensure their passcodes are changed.
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Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News, covering free speech and online censorship issues.
