AT&T reported that over 73 million current and former customers have information like their Social Security number and more published on the dark web in March.
The carrier added that the leak involved data from 7.6 million current users and at least 65.4 million former customers. (Related: Election systems expert demonstrates how easy it is to HACK voting machine USING ONLY A PEN.)
The AT&T website wrote that the information "varied by customer and account but may have included full name, email address, mailing address, phone number, social security number, date of birth, AT&T account number and passcode."
If you are worried that your data was involved in the recent data leak, the carrier has started contacting both current and former customers whose data has been leaked.
Customers affected by the security breach can expect to receive direct communication from AT&T via email or letter regarding the incident. AT&T reported that it already reset the passcodes of affected customers.
The company said it discovered the customer information in a specific data set on the dark web.
While AT&T is still searching through the set, it released the following statement:
"AT&T has launched a robust investigation supported by internal and external cybersecurity experts. Based on our preliminary analysis, the data set appears to be from 2019 or earlier, impacting approximately 7.6 million current AT&T account holders and approximately 65.4 million former account holders. Currently, AT&T does not have evidence of unauthorized access to its systems resulting in exfiltration of the data set. We encourage current and former customers with questions to visit www.att.com/accountsafety for more information."
What to do if your data is breached
If you suspect that your account was involved in the data breach, you can visit haveibeenpwned.com to check if your information was sold on the dark web.
Once you visit the website, type your email address into the search bar. The website will then search to see your data.
It will display if there were data breaches linked to your email address on different websites. You may have even received an email from Have I Been Pwned warning that some of your data was stolen.
If your information has been stolen and you have received a notification from Have I Been Pwned, take immediate action to minimize the damage.
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Follow the steps below to secure your data:
Change your passwords
If hackers have recorded your account passwords, they could easily access your online accounts and steal your data or money.
If you are on a laptop or desktop computer, change your passwords for all your important accounts, such as banking, email or social media. Make sure you do this on another device so the hacker isn’t recording you setting up your new password on the hacked device.
When choosing new passwords for your accounts, use strong and unique passwords that are hard to guess or crack. Do not use easy-to-identify information like your birthday or the street where you live.
Alternatively, you can use a password manager to generate and store your passwords securely.
Enable two-factor authentication
Activating two-factor authentication (2FA) on your accounts can help add an extra layer of security.
Monitor all your accounts and recent transactions
Even if you don't suspect that your account has been hacked, it's good to check your online accounts and transactions regularly for any signs of suspicious or unauthorized activity.
If you notice anything unusual, report it to the service provider or authorities. Additionally, you should carefully review your credit reports and scores to see if there are any signs of identity theft or fraud.
Contact your bank and credit card companies
If hackers have obtained your bank or credit card information, they could use it to make purchases or withdrawals even without your consent.
Immediately inform your bank and credit card companies of the situation. Doing this allows them to help you freeze or cancel your cards, dispute any fraudulent charges and issue new cards.
Use identity theft protection
Identity theft protection companies can help monitor personal information like your home title, Social Security Number, phone number and email address and alert you if it is being used to open an account. These companies can also help you in freeze your bank and credit card accounts to prevent further unauthorized use by hackers.
Additionally, some of these services might include identity theft insurance of up to $1 million to cover losses and legal fees and a white-glove fraud resolution team where a U.S.-based case manager helps you recover any losses.
Alert your contacts
Lastly, alert your contacts if hackers have accessed your email or social media accounts because cyber criminals could use them to send spam or phishing messages to your contacts.
Hackers can also impersonate you and ask for money or personal information. Immediately alert your contacts and warn them not to open or respond to any messages from you that seem suspicious or unusual.
Because this is still a fluid situation, AT&T has announced that it is actively investigating and gathering information.
Even if you are not an AT&T customer, the incident can offer some valuable lessons. Take precautionary measures to secure your data.
Visit Glitch.news for more stories about other hacking attempts.
Watch the video below to find out if China can hack the U.S. power grid.
This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.
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