AT&T hackers obtained data containing six months of call and text interactions of nearly all of its customers, the company said Friday.
The data obtained by the hackers included records of calls and texts between approximately May 1 and Oct. 31, 2022, and on Jan. 2, 2023, AT&T said in an SEC filing on Friday, where it added that it has closed off the access point the hackers used.
AT&T is working with law enforcement and at least one person has been apprehended, AT&T said. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is part of investigations, the commission confirmed.
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What to do if you're an AT&T customer
While a hack of this scale can sound alarming, there is some promising information and also some steps you can take.
First, it's important to note that AT&T said the hacked data does not include "content of calls or texts, personal information such as Social Security numbers, dates of birth, or other personally identifiable information."
Rather, the hacked data only includes "records of calls and text," but that does extend to "nearly all of AT&T's wireless customers." The company added that the hacked data doesn't include or link itself to customers' names, but names can be linked to telephone numbers through other research means.
If you are wondering if you were impacted, AT&T said it will provide notice to current and former customers, so you should keep an eye out for that. If you're a customer with questions, you can call AT&T wireless customer service at 1-800-331-0500.
Although personal information was not part of this hack, you may still be worried about your security. With that in mind, there are some steps you can take. For example, if you're an AT&T user, updating your passcode via the myAT&T Profile page is a way to protect your account.
You may also want to change the passwords on other key accounts, like with your banking and investing institutions or your email. This is a simple way to add a safety measure to your personal information, whether there was a recent hack or not. You can also use safe password managers, like 1Password, to build secure passwords for you.
After a hack disclosed in March, AT&T encouraged customers to monitor their account activity and credit reports, which is another smart move to protect yourself on a regular basis. At the time, AT&T recommended setting up free fraud alerts from credit bureaus Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. FreeCreditReport.com provides, as the URL suggests, free credit reports you can review.
Kiplinger experts also recommend seven smart moves to prevent identity theft, including securing your personal devices, safeguarding your Social Security number and using strong, diverse passwords.
More woes for AT&T users
AT&T previously disclosed a data breach in March following a release of customer data on the dark web in the weeks prior. AT&T determined the data was from 2019 or earlier and impacted 7.6 million current account holders and 65.4 million former account holders.
In that case, personal information of users, such as Social Security numbers, email addresses, mailing addresses, AT&T account numbers, phone numbers and more were obtained in the beach, AT&T said.
The company added that those impacted by the breach would be contacted by AT&T by mail or email and offer complimentary identity theft and credit monitoring services.
If you find yourself looking for a new wireless provider in the wake of these breaches, you can also reduce your monthly bill by selecting a smaller one. While there are some trade-offs by going smaller, Kiplinger contributor Ashlyn Brooks says these eight good value mobile companies are worth your consideration.
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