AT&T has notified current and former customers about the massive data breach, including sending emails and resetting passwords to prevent unauthorized access to their accounts

In a recent statement, AT&T said, "AT&T has determined that the data sets released to the dark web contain fields unique to AT&T's dataAT&T has made this determination, but it is unclear whether the data in these fields originated from AT&T or from one of AT&T's vendors It is not yet known whether the data in these fields originated from AT&T or from one of AT&T's vendors

For the remainder of the dataset, which includes personal information such as Social Security numbers, the source of the data is still under evaluation Preliminary analysis indicates that the data set is from 2019 or earlier and will affect approximately 76 million current AT&T account holders and 654 million former account holders Currently, AT&T has no evidence of unauthorized access to the system leading to the theft of the data sets"

This statement confirms that the data recently sold on the dark web includes legitimate customer data However, AT&T is adamant that the data was not pulled from its systems While the company maintains that the leak did not result from a security flaw in its systems, it should be noted that the investigation is still ongoing

While AT&T has forcefully claimed that its systems are not at fault, it does offer identity theft and credit monitoring services free of charge to customers whose personal information was compromised; this is not the first time AT&T has been in the news, most recently with a major There have been radio frequency disruptions affecting more than 70,000 users

If information is stolen, customers can take several steps, including changing their passwords and turning on two-factor authentication for their accounts They are also encouraged to freeze their credit This would prevent major credit bureaus from disclosing information necessary to establish a new line of credit Finally, it is recommended that when clicking on a link from an email claiming to be from AT&T, one should first authenticate that email

As hacking technology improves, massive data breaches have become an issue, as it may become apparent whether there are problems with AT&T's systems that need to be addressed For the time being, we will have to wait until a formal report is compiled

If you want to be more secure while using your cell phone, it may be worth checking out our articles on the best VPN services in 2024 and the best anti-virus software in 2024 to make sure you have the best possible personal defense