AT&T recently announced that the personal information of 73 million current and former customers was leaked to the dark web in mid-March. The breach is believed to have occurred in 2019 or earlier and includes Social Security numbers and account information for approximately 65.4 million former customers and 7.6 million current account holders. AT&T has informed the affected customers and is offering one free year of credit monitoring and identity theft detection through Experian’s IdentityWorks as a mitigation measure. The data leak was initially brought to light in 2021 when hackers claimed they had stolen customer data from AT&T and threatened to sell it. The stolen information was later discovered on the dark web in March 2024 by Troy Hunt, the creator of Have I Been Pwned.
In response to the breach, AT&T has reset the passcodes for the 7.6 million current customers and is urging them to sign up for the free credit monitoring and identity theft detection service. For the 65.4 million former customers whose data was stolen, AT&T is also communicating with them to inform them of the incident. Customers can take additional steps to minimize the damage of the breach, such as changing their passcodes and monitoring their credit reports for any signs of potential fraud. AT&T has not disclosed whether the stolen information came from their systems or one of their vendors. Customers can also use tools like Have I Been Pwned and Google’s Password Checkup to check if their data has been leaked and take proactive measures to secure their accounts.
If you suspect that your personal information was part of the AT&T breach, it is important to monitor your credit reports for any unusual activity. You can obtain a free credit report annually from the major credit bureaus and look for any unauthorized accounts or transactions. Signing up for a credit monitoring service can provide ongoing alerts for any suspicious activity on your credit report. In the event of identity theft or fraudulent charges, you should immediately place a fraud alert with the credit reporting companies, contact the fraud departments of financial institutions, and consider freezing your credit to prevent unauthorized access.
AT&T is providing identity theft and credit monitoring services through Experian’s IdentityWorks for one year for free to the 73 million customers affected by the data breach. Customers have until August 30, 2024, to sign up for the service and should also consider changing their passcodes as an additional security measure. It is essential to stay vigilant and monitor for any signs of fraud or unauthorized activity on your accounts. By taking proactive steps like monitoring credit reports, changing passcodes, and placing fraud alerts, customers can protect themselves from potential identity theft and financial harm. AT&T is working to address the breach and communicate with affected customers to ensure their data security and privacy.
