AT&T paying hacker to erase stolen call and text logs

SOURCE www.bnnbloomberg.ca
AT&T paid a hacker around $400,000 to erase stolen call and text logs, with a transaction in mid-May aligning with an extortion payment. The breach exposed sensitive data and raised national security risks.

Key Points

  • AT&T paid around $400,000 to erase stolen data
  • Analysis of Bitcoin transaction suggests it was an extortion payment
  • Scope of data breach poses national security risks

Pros

  • AT&T took action to erase stolen data and contain fallout from the hack
  • The hacker claimed to have deleted the data as agreed

Cons

  • National security risks due to exposure of sensitive call and text logs
  • Questions raised about the relatively low ransom payment compared to other high-profile breaches