JUNE 12, 2025
Stock Image: U.S. Medicare and Social Security identification cards in a wallet, Landenberg, Pennsylvania, USA, January 29, 2011. – Getty Images
A security expert at McAfee has warned that AT&T customers could be at risk of losing their personal information to identity theft after data of at least 86 million customers was released by cybercriminals.
The database, stolen from AT&T in 2024, has surfaced online after hackers appeared to sell it to Russian cybercriminals, according to Hackread.com.
Why It Matters
AT&T is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world, and any impact to their cybersecurity has the potential to affect millions of customers. Their records contain sensitive personal information, that, if leaked, could allow criminals to steal the identities of unsuspecting customers.
What To Know
The American Cyber Defense Agency previously reported that AT&T had suffered a breach of customer data in 2024.
Reports that the database had appeared online began on Wednesday. AT&T confirmed that the data appeared to match the information stolen in 2024.
Jasdev Dhaliwal, a consumer security and online privacy at antivirus software developer McAfee, told AT&T customers that they were at risk of having their phone numbers, email addresses, and even social security numbers accessed by hackers, and that “now is the time to take action.”
The stolen database includes more than enough personal information for cybercriminals to steal a customer’s identity, including names, email addresses, phone numbers, and most importantly, nearly 44 million social security numbers.
“If you’re an AT&T customer, now’s the time to take action. A previously reported data breach has exposed personal information from millions of accounts—and that data is reportedly up for sale on underground hacking forums,” Dhaliwal said.
“According to cybersecurity researchers, a database containing up to 86 million AT&T customer records is being sold on Russian cybercrime forums.”
Dhaliwal recommended that customers check their credit reports for any unfamiliar accounts or activity, as well as changing the password for their AT&T account to something different.
What People Are Saying
Steve Weisman, a cybersecurity expert and author of the Scamicide newsletter, told Newsweek that the best way to avoid identity theft was to protect your social security number: “Anyone can get scammed and your Social Security number can be obtained by identity thieves in a multitude of ways including data breaches.
“It is prudent to get a PIN each year from the IRS to include when you file your income tax return so that even if someone has your Social Security number, they won’t be able to file a tax return in your name with your Social Security number that would be accepted.”
In a statement to Newsweek, a spokesperson for AT&T said: “After analysis by our internal teams as well as external data consultants, we are confident this is repackaged data previously released on the dark web in March 2024. Affected customers were notified at that time. We have notified law enforcement of this latest development.”
What Happens Next
Customers are advised to check their accounts to ensure that their personal information is secure.
Courtesy/Source: Newsweek
