T-Mobile Data Breach Leaks Over 35 Million Customers’ Personal Information
Another T-Mobile data breach has occured, resulting in theft of phone numbers, email address, home address, birth dates and more.
Phone numbers, emails, birth dates, addresses, and more have been intercepted in a T-Mobile data breach. This hack includes information stolen from nearly 40 million customers. The breach was discovered at the beginning of January and is being heavily investigated by an outside investigation team that was hired by the mobile phone company.
Though the breach wasn’t found until the first week of January, the hack occurred sometime in late November. Investigation results thus far have determined that credit card information, bank account information, and Social Security numbers have not been stolen in the most recent T-Mobile data breach. Still, private information was stolen, and a hack occurred, which is enough information to determine that malicious intentions were acted upon.
This alarming T-Mobile data breach is not the first time the company has gone through something like this. In the past, the company has faced hacking situations that led customers to meet theft of Social Security numbers and driver’s license information. As a result of previous data breaches, T-Mobile faced class action lawsuits and paid upwards of $350 million in damages to customers who were affected.
The occurrence of multiple T-Mobile data breaches raises a question regarding how the company is handling cyber security. Though they have said that through 2023, they have plans to invest $150 million into strengthening its security systems and technologies throughout the company, will it be enough, and will the frightening data breaches stop? Right now, that answer remains up in the air as only time will tell if the measures the company claims it will take will prevent more data breaches from occurring.
Another question that comes to mind of whether or not the reoccurring T-Mobile data breaches may be coming from anywhere internal. There have been multiple T-Mobile data breaches that occurred in 2021, plus others in 2019 and 2018, that the company disclosed. There is always a possibility that more data breaches have happened, but the company decided to withhold due to the scrutiny the company would have to face.
This time, the company said that the source of the T-Mobile security breach was determined and put a stop to any further damage from occurring and having an effect on daily operations. Supposedly, the company launched a multi-year investigation last year, and still, another hack occurred that wasn’t discovered until several days later. This pattern is worrisome and dangerous as the company’s 98.3 million customers are under constant threat of having personal information stolen.
We all know that actions speak louder than words. T-Mobile claims to have an interest in keeping customers safe as a top priority. Suppose this type of T-Mobile data breach occurred multiple times in multiple years while security investigations were taking place. In that case, the company could not possibly be taking the necessary security measures to protect customers and prevent this type of thing from happening.
These breaches in data are also attracting the attention of the Federal Communications Commission and other influential regulation organizations. Customers always have the option to switch cell phone carriers. This consistent T-Mobile data breach should be enough to allow someone out of a contract without penalty.
