Massive AT&T (NYSE: T) Data Breach Exposes Sensitive Info of 9 Million Users – Are You Affected?

In a recent data breach, AT&T notified around 9 million of its customers that their private information has been exposed. The company revealed that a marketing vendor used by AT&T was hacked in January, resulting in the compromise of the Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI) of roughly 9 million users. Although the company claims that credit card information, social security numbers, and account passwords were not exposed, the CPNI data that was exposed includes sensitive information like first names, wireless account numbers, wireless phone numbers, and email addresses.

According to an AT&T spokesperson, “A small percentage of impacted customers also had exposure of rate plan name, past due amount, monthly payment amount, various monthly charges and/or minutes used. The information was several years old.” While AT&T has notified law enforcement about the breach, the report given did not include any specific information about any user’s account. They only stated that a breach had occurred, as required by the Federal Trade Commission.

To protect yourself from potential exposure in the future, AT&T is urging users to make a CPNI Restriction Request to turn off CPNI data sharing on their accounts. Additionally, here are some tips to further protect yourself:

Firstly, have good antivirus software installed on all your devices. Antivirus protection is the best way to protect yourself from having your data breached, as it can alert you of any phishing emails or ransomware scams.

Secondly, have strong passwords and use 2-factor authentication. Using the same password across multiple platforms will always make you more vulnerable as if one account gets hacked, they all get hacked. 2-factor authentication adds an extra layer of protection and prevents hackers from accessing your accounts. Be sure to use a password manager to keep track of all your passwords.

In conclusion, while the recent data breach has exposed the sensitive information of 9 million AT&T users, there are steps you can take to protect yourself from future breaches. By taking action to secure your accounts and devices, you can reduce the risk of having your private information compromised.

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