T-Mobile confirmed a security breach which has leaked over 48 million current, past and potential users. T-Mobile says it closed the server vulnerability hackers used to access the files, but the leaked information is now for sale online.
According to the hackers selling the database, it contains the first and last names, dates of birth, social security numbers, and driver’s license numbers of over 7.8 million postpaid subscribers, 850,000 prepaid customers, and more than 40 million “past or future” customers. plus account PINs for some of the 7.8 million postpaid subscribers.
On the “bright side,” T-Mobile says no financial or billing information has leaked. However, any information leaked is highly sensitive and could easily contribute to someone stealing your identity if your information was stolen.
T-Mobile will contact those affected for instructions on how to change your account PIN and update your security settings. Affected users will also receive McAfee’s ID Theft Protection Service for two years.
But even if you don’t hear from T-Mobile, your data can be compromised. The seller claims the database contains records of over 100 million current and former customers – including people who simply signed up for the T-Mobile service but never opened an account. This means that more users could be at risk than the 48 million T-Mobile have confirmed.
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All active T-Mobile customers should change their passwords and account PINs immediately, and everyone who has used the mobile operator in the past or even applied for a possible service should upgrade their general data security. Here are a few suggestions:
- Update all other accounts that use the same password as your T-Mobile account – and Please do not use any more passwords. A password manager can help you keep track of all of your unique logins.
- Sign up for two-factor registration and login notifications for each account you use.
- Remove as much personally identifiable information as possible from your T-Mobile profile and other accounts.
- Monitor your bank accounts and other financial services and payment methods such as PayPal or Venmo for suspicious activity. Report anything you don’t see.
- Watch out for phishing attacks, malware and trojans other scams. Hackers and scammers send misleading messages malicious links or fake special offers to stolen email addresses, phone numbers and social media accounts that have been compromised by a data breach.
These steps will help mitigate the impact of the T-Mobile injury – and everyone Data breach, for that matter—Together with other smart data security decisions like use a VPN, turn on Privacy settings in browsers / apps / websites, Enable ransomware protection, Encrypt important files and hard drives, and Install reliable antivirus software on your devices.
[9to5Mac]
