'Nearly all' AT&T customers' data stolen in huge breach



AT&T issued a Friday press release that stated "nearly all" of its customers' call and text records were stolen in a massive data breach.

According to the telecommunication company, the sensitive information was "illegally downloaded from our workspace on a third-party cloud platform." It noted that it has launched an investigation into the incident, partnering with "leading cybersecurity experts to understand the nature and scope of the criminal activity."

'Incredibly sensitive pieces of personal information.'

AT&T said that it believes at least one individual involved in the breach has already been apprehended by law enforcement, but it continues to work with authorities to arrest all of those responsible and "close off the illegal access point."

The company's investigation has so far determined that the hackers swiped the call and text records of "nearly all of AT&T's cellular customers, customers of mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) using AT&T's wireless network, as well as AT&T's landline customers who interacted with those cellular numbers between May 1, 2022 - October 31, 2022."

"The compromised data also includes records from January 2, 2023, for a very small number of customers. The records identify the telephone numbers an AT&T or MVNO cellular number interacted with during these periods. For a subset of records, one or more cell site identification number(s) associated with the interactions are also included," AT&T shared in its press release.

The company noted that the stolen data does not include the content of its customers' calls or texts. Hackers also did not obtain any personally identifiable information, including Social Security numbers or dates of birth. Additionally, the data breach did not include usage details, such as call and text time stamps, it noted.

"While the data does not include customer names, there are often ways, using publicly available online tools, to find the name associated with a specific telephone number," AT&T added. "At this time, we do not believe that the data is publicly available."

According to a May Securities and Exchange Commission filing, the telecommunications company learned about the data breach on April 19, 2024, stating that a "threat actor claimed to have unlawfully accessed and copied AT&T call logs."

The SEC filing stated that the Department of Justice previously advised AT&T to "delay" informing the public about the discovery, pursuant to Item 1.05(c) of Form 8-K.

NBC News reported that the DOJ and the FBI are working with AT&T to investigate the incident. The Federal Communications Commission launched its own investigation.

Thomas Rid, a professor of strategic studies and the director of the Alperovitch Institute for Cybersecurity Studies at Johns Hopkins University, told the news outlet, "If you have somebody's metadata, you know when they go to work, where they go to work, where they sleep every night."

In a statement to NBC News, John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, said, "These are incredibly sensitive pieces of personal information and, when taken together at the scale of information that appears to be included in this AT&T breach, they presetent a massive NSA-like window into Americans' activity."

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AT&T reportedly offers critical race theory training program: 'White people, you are the problem'



AT&T — the world's largest telecommunications company — offers an employee training program that teaches premises such as "American racism is a uniquely white trait" and "white people, you are the problem," according to a new report. AT&T has disputed some of the claims in the report, and dismissed it as "misleading."

According to internal documents obtained by journalist Christopher F. Rufo, AT&T launched an initiative called "Listen Understand Act" last year that is "based on the core principles of critical race theory, including 'intersectionality,' 'systemic racism,' 'white privilege,' and 'white fragility.'"

A senior AT&T employee, who spoke to Rufo on the condition of anonymity, said managers at the company now face annual assessments on diversity issues, and there is "mandatory participation" in "race reeducation exercises." The source allegedly told Rufo that white employees are "expected to confess their complicity in 'white privilege' and 'systemic racism,' or they will be penalized in their performance reviews."

AT&T company instructs employees to study a resource claiming that the United States is a "racist society" and tell… https://t.co/IZTfe1HhtW

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) 1635452057.0

The initiative encourages employees to read a Chicago Tribune article written by Dahleen Glanton that says, "White people, you are the problem. Regardless of how much you say you detest racism, you are the sole reason it has flourished for centuries."

"American racism is a uniquely white trait," the article states. "Black people cannot be racist toward you. Racism, by definition, is 'prejudice, discrimination or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior.' Black people cannot exude a sense of superiority that we have never experienced."

Glanton claims that white people "enjoy the opportunities and privileges that white supremacy" provides them.

The program urges employees to participate in the "21-Day Racial Equity Habit Challenge" that instructs people to "do one action to further your understanding of power, privilege, supremacy, oppression, and equity."

Eddie Moore, Jr, director of the Privilege Institute and the National White Privilege Conference, is credited with creating the "21-Day Racial Equity Habit Challenge." Moore recommends reading articles such as: "The Case for Reparations," The Weaponization of Whiteness in Schools," and "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack." The challenge suggests websites such as the Antiracism Center, the Transgender Training Institute, and National Center for Transgender Equality.

An AT&T spokesperson called the report "misleading," and told the New York Post that City Journal's report is "filled with misinformation and inaccuracies, including the ridiculous claim that we require employees to participate in 'race reeducation' exercises.'"

"This is blatantly untrue," the rep said. "We simply provide employees with resources they can use on a voluntary basis to facilitate conversations that are important to them, our customers and the communities we serve. Whether an employee uses these resources or not is up to them, and does not affect their annual performance rating. We have a long and proud history of valuing diversity, equality, and inclusion, and will continue to do so."

PROTECT FREE SPEECH: AT&T Employee Allegedly Fired for Private Messages Speaks Out

PROTECT FREE SPEECH: AT&T Employee Allegedly Fired for Private Messages Speaks Out