T-Mobile’s recent data breach has affected over 50 million customers, according to reports. An August 27th news release from the company’s CEO, Mike Sievert, detailed what the company had learned about the attack and what they would be doing to protect customer data in the future.
According to updates provided by T-Mobile and Sievert, the cyberattack compromised the data of customers, providing hackers not only personal identifying information but also access to IMEI and IMSI information which are identifier numbers associated with a mobile device.
Critically, the breach exposed certain individuals’ account PINs which are used to verify the identity of a caller wanting to make changes to their account. With an account PIN, a hacker is then given nearly unlimited access to a person’s device and engage in SIM swapping.
WHAT IS SIM-SWAPPING?
SIM swapping is an elaborate fraud that allows a hacker to completely take over an individual’s mobile device and account. A SIM is a subscriber identity module and is unique to each customer. The SIM card saves personal information making it easy for a person to upgrade to a new device without losing all of their information.
In a SIM swap scam, the hacker first accesses a person’s identifying information through a data breach. If the data includes the customer’s account PIN, the hacker can then use that one identifier to call into the cellular company and request that the SIM card is swapped to a new device. This then allows the hacker to overcome any two-factor authentication or two-step verification codes which usually send a text message to the person’s device.
Once the two-step authentication process is complete, hackers are able to gain access to an individual’s email, drive, and financial information. SIM swapping has been linked to multiple cryptocurrency thefts, including those of T-Mobile customers whose data was compromised in the most recent breach.
Some of the most popular types of cryptocurrency include:
- Bitcoin (BTC)
- Ethereum (ETH)
- Tether (USDT)
- Stellar (XLM)
- Binance Coin (BNB)
- Cardano (ADA)
- XRP (XRP)
- Dogecoin (DOGE)
- Litecoin (LTC)
- Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
- Chainlink (LINK)
- Polkadot (DOT)
- Monero (XMR)
- USD Coin (USDC)
AFFECTED BY A CELLULAR DATA BREACH? CONTACT LEVIN LAW TODAY
If you suffered financial loss as a result of a cellular company’s data breach, contact Levin Law, P.A. today for a free case evaluation. Call (855) 862-2306 or email contact@levinlawpa.com to speak directly with managing partner Brian Levin.
Most cases are handled on a contingency fee basis, meaning that clients are not obligated to pay Levin Law’s attorney fees unless money is recovered on their behalf.
If you have lost crypto assets because of a cellular company’s security breach, negligence, or other wrongdoing, or another cryptocurrency fraud scheme, call now at (855) 862-2306 or email contact@levinlawpa.com for a free case consultation.
ABOUT LEVIN LAW
Levin Law is a premier national securities and class action law firm with significant experience. Brian Levin, Levin Law’s founding attorney, has helped recover approximately $100,000,000 through securities arbitration and litigation for individual and institutional investors throughout the country and the world.
Levin Law represents retirees, individual investors, high-net-worth investors, ultra-high-net-worth investors, institutions, family offices, trusts, publicly held companies, and others.
