Hackers Spamming Verizon Customers With The Customers’ Own Numbers
Verizon customers nationwide are being plagued by spam texts that seemingly come from themselves.
This article is more than 2 years old
Spam messages are nothing new to cellphone owners. For most of the 2000s, chain emails and dubious texts riddled phone users all over the globe. For the most part, knowing to avoid messages like these was commonplace and not taken seriously. Today, unknown messages aren’t as irritating or threatening as they once were. But, a new wave of strange texts to Verizon customers is disturbing those who use this national carrier company.
Hackers descended upon Verizon Wireless this past week, sending messages to various customers who use the cellphone provider. The Verge writer described this phenomenon in a recent article, unfolding the strangeness of receiving a spam text from his own number. The article’s author, Chris Welch, was mildly annoyed by the weird message, but then discovered other Verizon users had received similar ones. Now, the countless spam texts sent around the country are allegedly being attributed to hackers.
The cellular provider announced today that there was an issue with hackers and these spam messages. Verizon confirmed that they’re working with law enforcement to uncover the nature of this predicament and who is behind this bizarre prank. Verizon spokesperson Richard Young said the company has been blocking these incoming spam messages, hoping to stop the incoming texts entirely.
What’s even more perplexing about the fraudulent messages is the link that the messages contain. When Welch clicked on the spam link, he was redirected to a Channel One Russia website: a site for Russia’s state media network. Though many might assume that this may be a widespread Russian cyber invasion on the Verizon network, the company claims that there’s no reason to believe Russia is inherently involved. It makes sense that many might jump to that conclusion due to the geopolitical events unfolding in Europe, but Verizon is waiting on concrete evidence before making that claim.
Many are continuously speculating on who the spam message culprits are. Some say that the span and complexity of this breach could signify an internal invasion from a Verizon team member. Others believe that the sophistication of the hack could indicate a larger plan accompanied by more advanced hackers. Verizon was quick to lay these claims to rest, stating that the hack most likely was “external bad actors” and that there was no significant data breach for the company.
Companies around the globe are on high alert due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Many corporations are bracing themselves for a potential cyberattack instigated by the continuous sanctions nations have imposed on Russia. Though this could be a possibility, there’s no link between Russia and the Verizon hack. Even though the culprit is unlikely hacking for an ethnonational purpose, a company-wide breach that affects its customers is still understandably concerning.
Verizon continues to push through this spam-message disturbance and is working towards identifying who is responsible. Cybersecurity is of the utmost importance for the cellphone carrier, and their quickness to respond to this hack shows Verizon’s dedication to their team and customers alike. For those who use Verizon’s services, the company assures you that the hack is contained and your privacy has not been jeopardized.
