Targeting large groups of people through phishing or email spam is a typical way cybercriminals make money. But some step it up a notch and go after large databases containing millions of user records.
In the last decade, plenty of companies have fallen victim to meticulously planned attacks. Hackers sometimes get access to millions of personal information files. They use the stolen data to rip people off by committing identity fraud and numerous other nefarious acts.
T-Mobile recently suffered such a data breach. The mobile service provider’s own investigation revealed that as many as 48 million customer records were pilfered. Now, while strongly being denied, there are rumors that AT&T was also breached.
Here’s the backstory
According to the online privacy advocating group Restore Privacy, a well-known hacker is selling the data of over 70 million AT&T customers. Going by the name ShinyHunters, the hacker claims to have breached the company’s servers. As proof, he posted a small snippet of evidence.
Restore Privacy independently verified the data sample is, in fact, legitimate information from AT&T customers. Data includes names, phone numbers, physical addresses, email addresses, Social Security numbers and dates of birth. This is all the information a scammer needs to commit identity fraud.
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Full disclosure, T-Mobile is a sponsor of The Kim Komando Show. The company reset its customers’ PINs after reports of the recent d ..
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