Telecom Giant AT&T Suffers Major Data Breach: Hackers Accessed Call and Text Records of Millions

United States of America
Data did not contain call or text content but included phone numbers, aggregate call duration, and cell site details.
Hackers gained unauthorized access to sensitive customer data on AT&T's cloud platform, Snowflake.
Stolen data included call and text records of nearly all AT&T wireless customers and some customers of other carriers.
Telecom giant AT&T suffered a major data breach from May 1, 2022 to October 31, 2022.
The hack was carried out by a financially motivated group called UNC5537 with members identified in North America and Turkey.
Telecom Giant AT&T Suffers Major Data Breach: Hackers Accessed Call and Text Records of Millions

In a series of shocking revelations, telecommunications giant AT&T announced that hackers had gained unauthorized access to sensitive customer data on its cloud platform, Snowflake. The breach, which occurred between May 1, 2022 and October 31, 2022, affected nearly all of AT&T's wireless customers and some customers of other carriers. The stolen data included records of calls and texts made during this period.

According to reports from Mandiant, a cybersecurity firm that investigated the breach, the hack was carried out by a financially motivated group called UNC5537. Members of this group were identified in North America and Turkey.

The stolen data did not contain the content of calls or texts but included phone numbers, aggregate call duration, and some cell site details. Hackers could potentially use this information to impersonate friends or relatives, gain access to financial information, or locate U.S. government workers.

AT&T stated that it had taken additional cybersecurity measures in response to the breach and was working with law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the Department of Justice, in their efforts to apprehend those involved.

The incident marked one of the most serious breaches of sensitive consumer data in recent years. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) were also notified about the breach.

Despite these measures, concerns remain about the potential impact of this breach on consumers' privacy and security. It is essential for individuals to be vigilant against potential phishing scams or other attempts to exploit their personal information.


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Confidence

91%

Doubts
  • It is unclear if the stolen data has been sold or used for malicious purposes.
  • The article does not specify how many customers of other carriers were affected.

Sources

83%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

AT&T says hackers stole call records of ‘nearly all’ wireless customers

The Fixing Site: A Summary of the Article. Joseph Menn, Friday, 12 July 2024 12:37
  • Unique Points
    • Hackers stole call records of almost all AT&T Wireless customers between May 1, 2022 and October 31, 2022, as well as one day in January 2023.
    • The stolen data includes phone numbers called or texted by more than 100 million customers and the frequency and combined durations of interactions.
    • Hackers could use this data to impersonate friends or relatives, gain access to financial information, or locate U.S. government workers.
  • Accuracy
    • Hackers stole call records of almost all AT&T Wireless customers between May 1, 2022 and October 31, 2022.
    • The records do not include customer names or content of communications but can reveal relationships and locations.
  • Deception (30%)
    The article contains selective reporting as it only mentions the number of affected customers without providing context about the total number of AT&T customers. It also uses emotional manipulation by describing the potential consequences of the data breach for individuals and national security. The authors quote experts to add credibility to their claims, but this does not constitute deception on their part.
    • The cache includes the numbers called or texted by more than 100 million customers between May 1 and Oct. 31, 2022, as well as one day in January 2023.
    • Someone targeting a criminal prosecutor or police officer might be able to identify a close relative and then use that number to find out where they live.
    • Texts from financial institutions could be mimicked to get an account holder to divulge passwords.
  • Fallacies (90%)
    The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy when it states 'Technologist Cooper Quintin of the Electronic Frontier Foundation' and 'David Berteau, president of the Professional Services Council' make statements about the potential consequences of the data breach. These statements are not logical conclusions based on facts presented in the article, but rather opinions from experts in their fields.
    • Technologist Cooper Quintin of the Electronic Frontier Foundation said...
    • David Berteau, president of the Professional Services Council, which represents contractors employing security-cleared workers, said...
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

94%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

AT&T's massive data breach deepens crisis for Snowflake seven weeks after hack was disclosed

CNBC News Jordan Novet Friday, 12 July 2024 22:11
  • Unique Points
    • Snowflake has spent the past seven weeks dealing with the fallout of a major cyberattack that compromised sensitive customer data at several of its clients.
    • Mandiant blamed the hack on a financially motivated group called UNC5537, with members in North America and Turkey.
  • Accuracy
    • Hackers stole call records of almost all AT&T Wireless customers between May 1, 2022 and October 31, 2022.
    • The stolen data includes phone numbers called or texted by more than 100 million customers and the frequency and combined durations of interactions.
    • The hack began with illicit access to one of AT&T's accounts with a major cloud data storage company, Snowflake.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (85%)
    The author makes an appeal to authority by mentioning the findings of Mandiant and CrowdStrike in relation to the Snowflake data breach. He also uses inflammatory rhetoric by describing UNC5537 as a 'financially motivated group' and stating that they have started extorting victims and trying to sell customer data online.
    • The software company's problems just got a whole lot worse. Telecommunications giant AT&T said in a regulatory filing on Friday that hackers tapped into a cloud platform housing customer data, gaining access to records of subscribers’ calls and text messages during a six-month period in 2022.
    • Mandiant wrote in a blog post last month that, through its ‘Victim Notification Program,’ the company and Snowflake have alerted 165 ‘potentially exposed organizations’ of the incident. Mandiant blamed the hack on a financially motivated group it calls UNC5537.
    • UNC5537 has since started extorting victims and trying to sell customer data online, Mandiant added.
  • Bias (95%)
    The article does not demonstrate any clear bias towards a specific political, religious, ideological or monetary position. However, the author does use language that depicts AT&T as having 'severe problems' and 'deepening crisis' due to the data breach at Snowflake. This could be seen as an attempt to sensationalize the situation.
    • The deepening saga represents a growing challenge for Sridhar Ramaswamy.
      • The software company’s problems just got a whole lot worse.
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication

      91%

      The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
      (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

      A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

      AT&T says hacker stole some data from 'nearly all' wireless customers

      ABC NEWS SITE NAMES Name: ABC News Site Names URL: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-officially-blames-iran_106834435 ABC News Saturday, 13 July 2024 02:44
      • Unique Points
        • AT&T believes a hacker stole records of calls and texts from nearly all of its wireless customers.
        • The hack occurred in an AT&T workspace on Snowflake’s cloud platform and did not impact AT&T’s network.
      • Accuracy
        • The stolen data does not contain the content of calls or texts, personal information such as Social Security numbers, dates of birth, or other personally identifiable information.
      • Deception (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Fallacies (95%)
        The article contains an example of an appeal to authority fallacy when it states 'AT&T says it has taken additional cybersecurity measures in response.' This statement implies that because AT&T claims to have taken additional security measures, they must be effective. However, the effectiveness of these measures is not proven or verified by the article.
        • AT&T says it has taken 'additional cybersecurity measures' in response.
      • Bias (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication

      78%

      The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
      (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

      A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

      Nearly all AT&T cell customers’ call and text records exposed in a massive breach

      CNN News Site: In-Depth Reporting and Analysis with Some Financial Conflicts and Sensational Language Matt Egan, Friday, 12 July 2024 10:29
      • Unique Points
        • Tens of millions of AT&T cellphone customers and many non-AT&T customers’ call and text message records were exposed in a data breach from May 1, 2022 to October 31, 2022.
        • The stolen logs contain records of every number AT&T customers called or texted, including numbers from other wireless networks.
        • Approximately 110 million wireless subscribers were affected, with international calls to Canada included except for landline customers who interacted with those cell numbers.
      • Accuracy
        • Tens of millions of AT&T cellphone customers and many non-AT&T customers' call and text message records were exposed in a data breach from May 1, 2022 to October 31, 2022.
        • Approximately 110 million wireless subscribers were affected
        • The breach began with illicit access to one of AT&T's accounts with a major cloud data storage company, Snowflake.
      • Deception (10%)
        The authors use the phrase 'nearly all' to exaggerate the extent of the breach. While it is true that a large number of customers were affected, it is not accurate to say that 'nearly all' were impacted.
        • The call and text message records from mid-to-late 2022 of tens of millions of AT&T cellphone customers and many non-AT&T customers were exposed in a massive data breach, the telecom company revealed Friday. AT&T said the compromised data includes the telephone numbers of ‘nearly all’ of its cellular customers and the customers of wireless providers that use its network between May 1, 2022 and October 31, 2022.
      • Fallacies (85%)
        The article contains a few instances of inflammatory rhetoric and appeals to authority. The author uses phrases like
        • the telecom company revealed Friday.
        • AT&T said the exposed data did not include the contents of calls and text messages nor the time of those communications.
        • The FBI declined to comment when asked about that statement.
      • Bias (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication