Personal Data of 2 Million T-Mobile Users Stolen in a Hack

• Security experts at T-Mobile identified a data breach earlier this week, and personal information of up to 2 million users may have been affected.
• The company revealed in a statement that law enforcement has already been notified to look into the matter.
• Credit card numbers, passwords, and social security numbers have not been affected according to the telecom.

The cyber security team of T-Mobile discovered a data breach on August 20 and was immediately shut down. It was found that about 2 million of the 77 million users were affected by the data breach, but sensitive information like credit card data, passwords or social security numbers were not stolen. Names, account numbers and personal contact information including addresses, emails and phone numbers may have been stolen.

Law enforcement has already been notified and is looking into the matter. According to the telecom, the attack was initiated by an 'international' organization. Users who have been affected will be notified via text messages from the carrier. Users who have concerns regarding the recent data breach dial 611 from their T-Mobile number and directly talk to a customer care representative. Alternatively, the T-Mobile app, My T-Mobile, and iMessage can also be used to connect with the company.

T-Mobile released a public apology stating “We take the security of your information very seriously and have a number of safeguards in place to protect your personal information from unauthorized access. We truly regret that this incident occurred and are so sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you.”

It is not the first time the carrier has been dragged into the controversy. Earlier this year, internet users were able to access customer data by simply adding T-Mobile phone numbers at the end of a public URL. Information like account pins, account status information and customer names were available for public access while some users also had their tax identification numbers visible.

The bug was patched quickly, and the carrier issued an apology. The extent of the latest data breach is still unknown, and the company will have to work towards improving its security to prevent such repeat incidents from recurring so frequently.

Ilia Kolochenko, High-Tech Bridge's CEO commented: “This security incident favorably stands out among many others by prompt detection and transparent disclosure. Many of the recent data breaches, including the most disastrous ones, were discovered weeks ago but then announced months after the occurrence. T-Mobile serves as a laudable example of the prompt incident response. This, however, does not absolve them from accountability for the breach and further cybersecurity enhancement to prevent similar incidents in the future.”

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