Copyright 2024 Patriot Mom Digest
On Thursday, according to a regulatory filing, T-Mobile revealed, that its network was breached, in late November and it was discovered on Jan. 5. The theft did not include passwords, PINs, bank account or credit card information, Social Security numbers or other government IDs. However, the stolen data did include addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth.
The following statement was supplied by T-Mobile to FOX Business-
"As soon as our teams identified the issue, we shut it down within 24 hours. Our systems and policies prevented the most sensitive types of customer information from being accessed, and as a result, customer accounts and finances should not be put at risk directly by this event. There is also no evidence that the bad actor breached or compromised T-Mobile’s network or systems."
-T Mobile Statement Regarding Breach
T-Mobile said it has notified law enforcement and federal agencies. Reportedly this is not the first time the wireless carrier has had security breaches. In August of 2021, personal data, including Social Security numbers and driver's license info of nearly 80 million U.S. residents, were affected.
As a result, in July, T-Mobile agreed to pay $350 million to customers, who filed a class action lawsuit. Additionally, prior to the August 2021 intrusion, T-Mobile disclosed breaches in January 2021, November 2019 and August 2018 in which customer information was accessed. That is four known breaches in five years, no small number, with who knows how many customers were affected.
Someone at T-Mobile should be shoring up the security systems. This is not obviously a one-time event for them. Good service includes being able to know that your personal information is safe. It would seem there is some major holes in their software, allowing those so inclined, to seek to steal information, that does not belong to them. That 37 million customers are at risk is dangerous. Someone in corporate at T Mobile, needs to get serious – ANY information stolen is too much.
“Data is the pollution problem of the information age, and protecting privacy is the environmental challenge.”
-Bruce Schneier