AT&T confirms data leak; South Carolina bank experiences breach
Cybercrime continues to be costly to victims, and the amount lost to these scams continues to climb year after year.
In the FTC’s latest report, the agency found U.S. citizens lost $1.1 billion to impersonation scams in 2023. The figure is three times higher than the amount lost to similar scams in 2020.
It’s why everyone must be vigilant when receiving suspicious messages, whether they come from your phone or via email. Cybercriminals will use every avenue they can to try and steal money and valuable sensitive information.
In this installment of the BlackCloak Thursday Threat Update, we’ll cover the latest update surrounding AT&T’s data leak, and a breach affecting one of the largest banks in South Carolina.
AT&T confirms data leak affecting 73M customers
What we know: AT&T has officially confirmed the data belonging to 73 million current and former customers that was found for sale on a hacking forum originated from their systems. AT&T said the data leak affected around 7.6 million current and 65.4 million former customers. Compromised data points included names, addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers and security passcodes.
Recommendations: AT&T reset the account passcodes for those who have been impacted by this breach, but it’s highly recommended that any current AT&T customer reset their passcode out of an abundance of caution. Anyone affected by the breach should place a credit freeze and fraud alert on their accounts, especially since Social Security numbers are among the exposed data points. Additionally, AT&T customers should be on the lookout for suspicious messages coming from their phone. Cybercriminals could send phishing messages through SMS text messages, a practice known as “smishing.”
South Carolina-based bank experiences data breach
What we know: One of the largest banks in South Carolina experienced a data breach. SouthState Bank has started to notify anyone affected by a breach that took place this past February. In its letter to impacted customers, the bank said names, financial account and Social Security numbers were compromised in the incident. The bank has not confirmed how many people had their information exposed.
Recommendations: SouthState Bank has offered anyone affected by the breach a free one year membership with an identity theft protection service, and is advising customers to be “vigilant for incidents of fraud” by checking their statements and credit reports for suspicious activity on a regular basis.
Be ready for anything
Cyberscams and data breaches may seem all encompassing at times, but that doesn’t mean you have to resign yourself to instances of harm. By taking steps before and after a cybercrime takes place, you can greatly minimize the risk you face.
Learn about the steps you can take to mitigate identity theft, and when you should place a credit freeze and fraud alert on your accounts.
