T-Mobile, the fastest 5G provider in the US has disclosed that a second data breach took place on February 24 until March 30.
According to the company, the hack has hit more than 800 customers. T-Mobile said that user account PINs, date of birth, and other customer data might have been leaked during the incident.
T-Mobile Data Breach Exposed Hundreds of User's Data
T-Mobile has revealed that the second data breach has affected over 800 customers from February 24 to March 30.
In a report by Ars Technica on Tuesday, May 2, the exact number of the affected T-Mobile customers during the second hack is 838, as per Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey's website.
"The information obtained for each customer varied but may have included full name, contact information, account number and associated phone numbers, T-Mobile account PIN, social security number, government ID, date of birth, balance due, internal codes that T-Mobile uses to service customer accounts (for example, rate plan and feature codes), and the number of lines," the company detailed in a letter sent to the affected users.
Once T-Mobile uncovered the data breach that happened two months ago, the company immediately reset their accounts. This way, the hackers won't be able to switch and take advantage of the SIM cards.
T-Mobile acknowledged the fact that it did not manage to safeguard the customer's information against unwanted outside access. For its part, the company said that it will continue to improve its security to prevent this event in the future.
T-Mobile apologized to the users and promised to continuously make enhancements when it comes to data security.
Previous T-Mobile Security Breach
Back in January 2023, the mobile communications firm took notice that it suffered from a new security breach. The company cited that a "bad actor" was responsible for accessing the customer data from the database, per Tech Times.
This was the first intrusion that hit the company. The data breach took place after the company was declared to be the fastest 5G and 4G LTE provider at the Ookla Speedtest Global Index.
The widespread hack reportedly compromised some data from 37 million subscribers. To avoid identity theft, T-Mobile pre-emptively closed its systems for 24 hours as part of the mitigation process.
While it's assumed that personal details were exposed during the attack, the company highlighted that no finances or customer information were at risk at that time.
Related Article: T-Mobile Subscribers Can Now Link Their Phone Numbers With Alexa For Hands-Free Calling, Texting
What should you do if your information is stolen?
9to5Mac reports that as a customer, you should change your existing PIN and take note of all your account information ahead of the incident.
As for the identity theft cases, the FTC is always there to back you up if you need help in recovering your account. If you think that you account is stolen by a hacker, you can check this guide for you to get started.
If you want to further protect your confidential details from the hackers, you can visit this link to browse over important tips in case your information is lost or robbed.
Read Also: T-Mobile 2G Network Shuts Down in 2024 - Focusing on 4G LTE Instead?
