Exposed AT&T Data: 86 Million Records, Now Decrypted and Available Online - Remain Vigilant
Trending News Flash: AT&T data breach under scrutiny once more
AT&T is back in the data breach hot seat, as a fresh batch of customer data surfaces on a shady forum, raising doubts about its legitimacy and potential origin.
With a whopping 86 million records on offer, the data includes personal details such as birthdates, contact info, email addresses, and home addresses. What sets this breach apart is the inclusion of 44 million plaintext social security numbers, making identity theft a real concern.
Old wine in a new bottle or something more ominous?
Researchers from HackRead spotted the suspicious files on May 15, with the collection of data resurfacing on various forums and leak sites ever since. The data bears a startling resemblance to that of the 2024 snowflake vulnerability fiasco, raising questions about its origination. However, it's equally possible that this is just a re-release of an older breach or a combination of multiple incidents.
In 2024, a significant data breach occurred where AT&T paid a hefty $370,000 in Bitcoin to one of the hackers to delete stolen customer information[1]. This incidence, however, doesn't seem to be a re-release of old data, but rather a new incident given the 2024 timeline.
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The stolen data in the 2024 breach was initially taken in 2021[2]. The infamous snowflake vulnerability incident of 2024 saw a massive customer data leak from AT&T, prompting the company to negotiate and pay a hefty sum to the hackers involved to delete the sensitive information.
Given the high-stakes nature of the exposed data, it's strongly recommended for potentially affected individuals to invest in identity theft protection and credit monitoring services for added security.
Reference:1. The Register2. New York Times
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- The recent AT&T data breach, where over 86 million records were exposed, is causing concerns in the realms of both cybersecurity and crime-and-justice, as it includes sensitive details such as social security numbers, making identity theft a significant issue.
- The latest AT&T data breach, which has resurfaced on the dark web, appears to share similarities with the 2024 snowflake vulnerability incident, raising questions about its origination and overlap with older breaches, underscoring the importance of staying informed on general-news and technology related topics.
