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Hands-On With Huawei's Pura 70 Ultra
   
 * Tech
 * Mobile
   


AT&T DATA BREACH: WHAT IS AT&T DOING FOR THE 73 MILLION ACCOUNTS BREACHED?

If you're worried about your data, here's what you can do, including how to
reset your AT&T account passcode.

Clifford Colby Managing Editor
Clifford is a managing editor at CNET, where he leads How-To coverage. He spent
a handful of years at Peachpit Press, editing books on everything from the first
iPhone to Python. He also worked at a handful of now-dead computer magazines,
including MacWEEK and MacUser. Unrelated, he roots for the Oakland A's.
Expertise Tech from browser security to password managers and government
programs from mail-in voting to federal assistance
See full bio
Mary-Elisabeth Combs Associate Writer
Mary-Elisabeth is an associate writer on CNET's How-To team. She's a recent
graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill's English Department, and resides in Charlotte,
North Carolina. On the How-To team, she covers a little bit of everything. When
she's not writing, she's catching up on Formula 1 or reading.
See full bio
Clifford Colby
Mary-Elisabeth Combs
May 15, 2024 2:05 a.m. PT
6 min read


AT&T said it has reset the passcodes for 7.6 million current customers, in
response.

James Martin/CNET

Were you one of the 73 million current and former customers who had their
personal information stolen in the AT&T breach? If so you should have heard from
AT&T, letting you know you can sign up for one free year of credit monitoring
and identity theft detection through Experian's IdentityWorks. In the wake of
the breach, plaintiffs are starting to file class action lawsuits against AT&T.



The AT&T account breach appears to be from 2019 or earlier, the company said in
a statement, and includes Social Security numbers and account information for
approximately 65.4 million former customers and 7.6 million current account
holders.



The data leak first came to light in 2021, when hackers claimed they'd stolen
customer data from AT&T and would put the information up for sale. Fast-forward
to March 2024, the stolen personal information was discovered on the dark web,
according to Troy Hunt, creator of Have I Been Pwned. 



In response, AT&T said it has contacted the 7.6 million current customers and
has reset their passcodes. Whether you're in the smaller set of current
customers or the larger group of former account holders who think their data has
been stolen in the breach, you can take steps to potentially lessen the damage
of the breach. Read on for what you can do. AT&T didn't immediately respond to
CNET's request for comment. 



For more, here are our picks for the best identity theft protection and
monitoring services and how Consumer Report's permission slip can help you take
control of your online data. 




WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE AT&T DATA LEAK

AT&T on March 30 said that the personal information of 73 million current and
former customers was leaked in mid-March to the dark web. The company said the
stolen information appears to be from 2019 or earlier, and it does not know if
the information came from AT&T or one of its vendors. 


WHAT PERSONAL INFORMATION WAS STOLEN IN THE AT&T BREACH?

According to AT&T, which customer and account data was stolen may vary by
account, but thieves had access to customers' full name, email address, mailing
address, phone number, Social Security number, date of birth, AT&T account
number and passcode. AT&T said the information doesn't appear to contain
personal financial information or call history. 




WHAT IS AT&T DOING FOR THE 73 MILLION CUSTOMERS WHOSE DATA WAS STOLEN?

In addition to resetting passcodes, AT&T said it is providing the 73 million
current and former customers whose accounts were breached identity-theft and
credit-monitoring services through Experian's IdentityWorks for one year for
free.




AT&T said customers need to sign up for identity theft protection service by
Aug. 30, 2024.


WHAT IS AN AT&T PASSCODE?

A customer's passcode is essentially a numerical PIN and is usually four digits.
A passcode is different from a password and is required to complete an AT&T
installation, perform personal account functions by phone or contact technical
support by phone, AT&T said.


HOW TO RESET YOUR AT&T PASSCODE

AT&T said it has already reset the passcodes for those active accounts where
data was stolen but recommends if you haven't changed your passcode in the past
year, you should change yours as a precaution. Here's how to change your AT&T
passcode.



 1. Head to your myAT&T Profile. Sign in, if asked. (If you have extra security
    enabled and can't sign in, AT&T says to choose Get a new passcode)
 2. Scroll to My linked accounts
 3. Select Edit for the passcode you want to update
 4. Follow the prompts to finish up


WHERE CAN YOU CHECK IF YOU ARE PART OF THE AT&T BREACH

AT&T said it will email or mail a letter to the 7.6 million current customers
whose data was stolen, explaining the incident, what information was compromised
and what it is doing in response. The company said it has reset passcodes for
affected current customers. The company said it is also communicating with the
65.4 million former account holders whose data was stolen.



You don't have to wait for AT&T to contact you. Using Have I Been Pwned, you can
check whether your data has been leaked. If you store your password information
in a Google account, the company's Password Checkup tool can alert you if your
account information has been exposed. The premium version of our favorite
password manager, Bitwarden, can check for stolen passwords on the web. 

Changing your passcode and password, if AT&T hasn't contacted you, can help
secure your account.





HOW TO MONITOR YOUR CREDIT REPORT FOR FRAUD

If you think your personal information was part of the AT&T breach, you can
watch your credit reports for signs of potential fraud. 

Monitor your credit reports. You get one free credit report a year from the
three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. On your report,
look for unusual or unfamiliar activity, such as the appearance of new accounts
you didn't open. Watch your credit card accounts and bank statements for
unexpected charges and payments.

Sign up for a credit monitoring service. Pick a credit monitoring service that
constantly monitors your credit report on major credit bureaus and alerts you
when it detects unusual activity. To help with the monitoring, you can set fraud
alerts that notify you if someone is trying to use your identity to create
credit. An identity-theft-protection service like LifeLock can start at $7.50 a
month -- or you could use a free credit-monitoring service like the one from
Credit Karma. 





WHAT TO DO IF YOU SUSPECT YOU'RE A VICTIM OF FRAUD OR IDENTITY THEFT

As soon as you suspect your personal information has been stolen, take action to
stop unauthorized charges and start to recover your identity.

Place a fraud alert. If you suspect fraud, place a fraud alert with each of the
credit reporting companies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. The alert notifies
creditors that you have been a victim of fraud and lets them know to verify new
credit requests in your name. You can place an initial fraud alert, which stays
on your credit report for 90 days, or an extended fraud alert, which stays on
your credit report for seven years. Placing a fraud alert won't affect your
credit score. 

Contact fraud departments. For each business and credit card company where you
think an account was opened or charged without your knowledge, contact its fraud
department. While you're not responsible for fraudulent charges to an account,
you need to report the suspicious activity promptly.

Freeze your credit. If you want to stop anyone from opening credit and
requesting loans and services in your name without your permission, you can
freeze your credit. You will need to request a freeze with each of the three
credit reporting companies, which again are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. To
apply for new credit, you need to unfreeze your credit through each of the
credit reporting companies. You can either request a temporary lift of the
freeze or unfreeze it permanently.

Create a recovery plan. The Federal Trade Commission has a valuable tool that
helps you report identity theft and recover your identity through a personal
recovery plan and Identity Theft Report, which you can use to dispute charges.

Document everything. Keep copies of all documents and expenses and records of
your conversations about the theft.

For more, here are our favorite password managers and the best VPN services. 


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