AT&T admits the ugly details of a data breach that affected millions

The wireless carrier is resetting account passcodes and notifying customers.

Apr 1, 2024 - 22:30

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AT&T admits the ugly details of a data breach that affected millions

Fast Facts

AT&T has confirmed a data leak that impacts nearly 73 million current and former AT&T customers.
The carrier has confirmed the data set is from "2019 or earlier," and is resetting passcodes for all active accounts.

AT&T (T) has now confirmed a massive data leak that impacts current and former customers. After being reported first by TechCrunch, the wireless carrier has acknowledged that the leak that contains information from nearly 73 million AT&T customers.

To help protect impacted customers, AT&T is resetting account passcodes and will email or mail a letter explaining what happened. The wireless carrier has also set up an FAQ site, but this is the first time it has acknowledged the data leak, which was first reported in 2021.

AT&T shared that the compromised data that appeared on the dark web appears to be from 2019 or earlier, impacting approximately 7.6 million current AT&T account holders and 65.4 million former account holders.” Additionally, the leaked information “may have included full name, email address, mailing address, phone number, social security number, date of birth, AT&T account number and passcode.”

It’s also noted that the type of information included varies by account. Before acknowledging the leak after TechCrunch’s original reporting, AT&T had denied a breach. Protecting an account with a passcode isn’t just an AT&T practice; it's common with other wireless carriers. It’s generally used as a security layer to up security when calling in or visiting a store.

Beyond the response of notifying customers by “email or letter,” AT&T is suggesting customers review and monitor credit reports and the wireless account. The carrier also recommends setting up free fraud alerts from Equifax, Experian, or Transunion and reviewing a credit report for free at Freecreditreport.com.

The confirmation of this AT&T customer records leak comes after the wireless carrier had a rocky start to 2024 with a 12-hour outage on Feb. 22, which it attempted to make right by offering a $5 credit. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has also opened a formal investigation into AT&T’s Feb. 22, 2024 outage.

TheStreet contacted AT&T for further comment; the wireless carrier responded and referred us to a press release and the FAQ website, which you can access here.

In the release, AT&T notes that it is not clear where the data originated from, either directly from the carrier or from a vendor. Additionally, AT&T has launched a "robust investigation supported by internal and external cybersecurity experts" and "does not have evidence of unauthorized access to its systems resulting in exfiltration of the data set."