T-Mobile Security Breach Leaves Millions of Customers Exposed
A massive security breach at T-Mobile exposed the personal data of nearly 50 million people, including the customers’ email addresses, account numbers, and subscriber identification modules (SIM). While no financial information was stolen, the leaked data could be used to create fraudulent accounts and take over existing accounts if combined with other information. The hack occurred in 2017 but was only recently discovered when security analysts noticed an unusual spike in suspicious activity and notified T-Mobile as well as law enforcement agencies. While no financial information was stolen, the leaked data could be used to create fraudulent accounts and take over existing accounts if combined with other information.
What happened?
In early November, T-Mobile confirmed it had suffered a data breach. More than two months later, the company said that nearly 50 million customers had their personal information compromised during the breach. The hack exposed names, email addresses, account numbers and even subscriber identification module (SIM) card information. All affected individuals will be notified of the issue within days.
Who has been affected?
The breach has impacted roughly 3% of T-Mobiles 55 million customers. Though it is still not clear as to what information has been exposed, we do know that names, account numbers, e-mail addresses and phone numbers have been compromised. Not to mention it is likely that these phones were automatically logged into their respective accounts which means the criminals could simply reset the password with ease.
What should I do now?
Keeping sensitive information about your finances, medical records, and social security number out of the hands of malicious hackers can be a daunting task. Doing these four things right now will help protect you from cybercrime and prevent your personal data from being compromised:
1) Create strong passwords.
How to protect yourself from further attacks
If you were affected by the breach, it is a good idea to think about signing up for credit monitoring services. This will not be as beneficial as keeping your social security number and other personal information private, but it can help you keep track of new accounts opened in your name and fraudulent transactions made.
Additionally, you should call T-Mobile customer service if you want to cancel your mobile phone account. They are more than happy to help and their phone lines are available 24/7.
How to stay updated on the situation
In the aftermath of this security breach, many customers will be trying to figure out what information may have been accessed and how to protect themselves. Although T-Mobile is reassuring its customer base that no banking or credit card data was taken in the attack, millions are still wondering what this means for them personally.
