The IT Nerd

I have honestly lost count at the number of times that T-Mobile has been pwned by hackers. Though the last time that they got pwned was earlier this year. But whatever the count is, you can add one to it as T-Mobile has been pwned again. Here’s the details from Bleeping Computer:

T-Mobile disclosed the second data breach of 2023 after discovering that attackers had access to the personal information of hundreds of customers for more than a month, starting late February 2023.

Compared to previous data breaches reported by T-Mobile, the latest of which impacted 37 million people, this incident affected only 836 customers. Still, the amount of exposed information is highly extensive and exposes affected individuals to identity theft and phishing attacks.

“In March 2023, the measures we have in place to alert us to unauthorized activity worked as designed and we were able to determine that a bad actor gained access to limited information from a small number of T-Mobile accounts between late February and March 2023,” the company said in data breach notification letters sent to affected individuals just before the weekend, on Friday, April 28, 2023.

Ani Chaudhuri, CEO, Dasera had this comment:

T-Mobile’s recent data breach, which affected 836 customers and exposed extensive personal information, underscores the importance of robust data security platforms. Although this breach was not as large as previous incidents, it still leaves affected individuals vulnerable to identity theft and phishing attacks.

T-Mobile has experienced several data breaches in recent years, with the latest incident in 2023 marking their ninth disclosure since 2018. Despite facing multiple challenges, T-Mobile has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to addressing and mitigating the impact of these breaches on its customers. Their rapid and proactive responses, such as resetting account PINs, offering free credit monitoring and identity theft detection services, and maintaining open communication with affected individuals, showcase the company’s dedication to safeguarding customer data and prioritizing security. This track record highlights T-Mobile’s resilience and ability to adapt in an ever-evolving digital landscape where data security is paramount. However, this incident also highlights an opportunity to enhance data security measures further.

One way to improve data security is by implementing comprehensive platforms that empower businesses to leverage structured and semi-structured data throughout their lifecycle safely. These platforms should offer automated data security and governance controls, continuous visibility, risk detection, and mitigation, all while aligning with business goals and ensuring seamless integration, unmatched security, and regulatory compliance.

Businesses can adopt a secure, data-driven growth strategy that minimizes risk and maximizes value by deeply understanding the four data variables – data infrastructure, data attributes, data users, and data usage. In the case of T-Mobile, a data security platform that effectively manages structured data usage could have mitigated the recent breach’s impact.

As the digital landscape evolves rapidly, businesses must prioritize data security to maintain a competitive edge. While T-Mobile’s response to the recent breach was commendable, this incident serves as a reminder that there is always room for improvement in data security measures. By adopting comprehensive data security platforms, businesses can better protect customer information and prevent future breaches.

Okay. So it’s a low number this time around. That’s not the issue. The real issue is that they keep getting pwned. It’s as if they’re not even trying to keep customer data safe. And even if that’s not the case, do you really want to be with a phone carrier who get pwned as often as T-Mobile does?

This entry was posted on May 1, 2023 at 4:58 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags Hacked. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.