T-Mobile confirmed that hackers had stolen the personal information of about 40 million potential and past customers who applied for credits at telecommunication companies. Not only this, but the personal data or previous customers have also been obtained by the hackers, including driver’s license records, social security numbers, date of birth, full names, and many other significant pieces of information.
The wireless carrier has faced several similar incidents in the past three years. This one is the fifth for the record. The personal information of 7.8 million current subscribers and 850,000 active T-Mobile prepaid customers has been compromised.
Stolen Information:
T-Mobile has claimed that no financial information, pin passwords, account numbers, and phone numbers of the clients had been exposed. How did the hackers access the computer networks, and who was behind all the cybersecurity crimes? T-Mobile has yet revealed nothing.
Besides, T-Mobile also refused to disclose what information hackers could have stolen from the clients during the Breach. Neither have they told yet that how many people lost their private information nor notified the affected clients.
Consequences Of The Breach:
Investigators and reporters have claimed that the stolen data is already available on multiple forums for sale. Attackers can use the information for crimes like SIM swapping, identity theft, or to commit any fraud.
A Solution To Keep The Information Safe:
The foremost thing the company is suggesting to all the customers is to change their pins as access to pins is the primary cause of the stolen information.
“The data that identity thieves want today tend more often than not to be logins and passwords,” said James E. Lee, chief operating officer at the Identity Theft Resource Center. “They want credentials because that’s what they can use to break into other systems.”
However, we want to let you know some other solutions for such problems so that you may not compromise any potential loss.
Let us have a look!
· Re-Think Two-Factor Authentication:
Many customers might already be security conscious; hence, they set up two-factor authentication on multiple online accounts. If you are one of them, then you took an excellent and secure step. Suppose you doubt that your personal information has been compromised in this cybersecurity crime. In that case, it is time to use the two-factor authentication wisely.
· Freeze Your Credit:
Several hackers want to use your credit to commit frauds and crimes. Having your very personal information from this Breach would be an excellent chance for them to do so. Hence, it is highly recommended to freeze all your credit reports, especially Adam Levins, the personal finance and identity theft expert suggests this.
All you have to do is reach all three credit bureaus —TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. You can request them to freeze your credits as the process is entirely free. So, if you’re worried about the credit score, stay calm as they will not be affected. It secures your personal information by stopping anyone from opening new credit lines, let it be you or anyone else.
Rogue Logics provides in-depth security services for the assessment and protection of your application, data, and infrastructure against potential threats on-prem or in the cloud.
Want a consultation with the professionals at Rogue Logics, contact us and get a free quote.