Massive data hack at AT&T puts everyone at risk. Here's how to protect yourself.

Your phone number and location data has likely been compromised even if you're not a customer – this is what you can do now.  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ [Mozilla ]( [❤️ Mozilla ❤️]( [Donate]( Hello, Whether you are an AT&T customer or not: Your phone number has likely been compromised. The telecommunications giant has just announced that months of phone records of “nearly all” of its 110 million customers – and anyone they interacted with – has been stolen by hackers.1 Mozilla works to make the internet safe, private, and trustworthy – so in this email, we're going to tell you [how to protect yourself from this hack](, and then ask you to [take action to call for federal privacy legislation]( that would give you rights if your data is compromised. Here’s what we know so far: - What’s been stolen: Phone and text message records, including which phone numbers a customer has called and texted, the total number of calls or texts made, and the duration of these calls. - Location data: Worryingly, the location data of some customers has also been stolen – via cell site identification numbers, which potentially reveals a user’s location during calls and texts. - Timeframe of the breach: The stolen data is mostly from a six-month period from May 1, 2022 to October 31, 2022. AT&T has been aware of this hack since 19 April, and say they have been working with law enforcement before going public. You and many others in the Mozilla community are very likely affected by this breach, so here is our [advice for how you can protect yourself and your privacy:]( [Read About the Hack and How to Protect Yourself Online →]( This breach puts everyone who is – or who communicates with – an AT&T customer at risk. A few things that could happen: - Since phone numbers can be linked to people’s names, these records show who is communicating frequently with whom. Scammers could impersonate a friend or family member to trick a person into handing over money. - Texts from banks could be copied to convince an account holder to share passwords.2 - The location data that has been stolen is particularly scary for anyone who's safety depends on protecting the privacy of their location. Vulnerable people, like those who are the victims of stalkers or intimate partner violence, risk having their location shared with their abusers. There are concerns that criminals may be able to find the homes of police officers and prosecutors, or sensitive location data used to blackmail people.3 The consequences of this hack are wide-ranging and frankly, pretty scary – especially in a world of AI, where scammers and others with malign intentions have a dangerous arsenal of tools like AI voice generation at their disposal. One of the reasons a data breach like this could happen: Unlike Europe, the United States lacks a comprehensive, federal data privacy law that puts in place data security requirements, like assessing vulnerabilities preemptively, mitigating risks, and setting retention limits so data is disposed of when its allowed purpose is fulfilled. Without such a law, large multinational corporations are able to harvest our data in a way that is largely unregulated – and then when data breaches occur, it’s individual users who are put at risk and must bear the consequences. In 2022 alone there were over 1,800 data breaches in the U.S. affecting 400 million people worldwide. Mozilla is calling for a comprehensive US federal privacy law – in fact, we were testifying before the Senate just last week, highlighting privacy’s role as a critical component of AI policy. But it takes more than just a senate hearing to get this legislation passed – we need support from thousands of people like you who stand up against corporate data harvesting and demand better privacy protections from their representatives. Will you join our campaign? [Sign Mozilla’s petition now and demand a strong federal US privacy law.]( [Sign Now →]( Together, we can – and must – work towards a future where everyone can be in control of their personal information. Michael Whitney Director, Digital Engagement Mozilla --------------------------------------------------------------- More Information: 1. Washington Post. [AT&T says hackers stole call records of ‘nearly all’ wireless customers](. 12 July 2024. 2. Same as above. 3. TechCrunch. [What the AT&T phone records data breach means for you](. 12 July 2024. Connect with us [X]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Thanks for reading! You’re receiving this email because you subscribed to Mozilla News. If you no longer want to receive our emails, we’ll understand if you [unsubscribe](. You can also [update your email preferences]( at any time. [❤️ Mozilla ❤️]( [Donate]( 149 New Montgomery St, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105 USA [Legal]( • [Privacy]( [Unsubscribe](