Were You Part of the 2024 AT&T Breach? Don’t Panic. Here’s What to Do.

If you were one of the 70+ million people affected by the 2024 AT&T data breach, you are likely concerned about the safety of your accounts and the risk of your identity being stolen. Although some of the data is from 2019 or earlier, according to AT&T, the 2024 data breach occurred this past March when stolen customer data was found on the dark web.

If you were part of this data breach, your identity could be at risk of being stolen because customers’ Social Security numbers were exposed. You would know if you were part of this data breach if you received an email from AT&T notifying you that your private information was exposed on the dark web, according to CBS News.

Important Note: Although the main AT&T data breach occurred this past March, AT&T suffered another data breach in mid-July 2024 which included text and phone records of “nearly all” AT&T’s customers dating back to mid-2022. While this more recent data breach does not include the contents of these texts or calls, the records hold customer phone numbers. AT&T is working with law enforcement to investigate who is responsible for this latest data breach.

Read on to learn more about the 2024 AT&T data breach and what you should do if it affected you.

What to know about the 2024 AT&T data breach

Here are some quick facts and figures about the 2024 AT&T data breach:

• The data breach affected roughly 7.6 million current AT&T accounts and 65.4 million former AT&T accounts
• AT&T was unsure if the breach originated from within the company or one of its vendors
• AT&T assured customers that it would offer identity theft and credit monitoring services to those affected by the breach
• The information that was released onto the dark web consists of customers’ Social Security numbers, passwords, PINs, mailing addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth and more

What to do if you were a part of the AT&T breach

After receiving messages from AT&T that your account safety and identity have been compromised, you were probably terrified and panicked. If you were part of the AT&T data breach, follow these steps to keep your information as safe as possible.

Freeze your credit

Credit freezes are beneficial for anyone whose private information is compromised because they will protect you from having your identity stolen. By freezing your credit, you will prevent lenders from approving new loans or credit lines in your name, so if someone did steal your information, they would not be able to impersonate you. You can place a credit freeze by contacting all three of the major credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. 

For additional security, you can also place a fraud alert on your credit report. This would require you to verify your identity before taking out a loan or opening a new line of credit. 

Update your passwords

Since your private information, including your login credentials, was exposed to the dark web, make sure to change your passwords immediately. One of the best ways to change all your passwords is by getting a password manager like Keeper^®. Having somewhere that you can generate strong passwords and store them in a secure location should be your highest priority as someone impacted by a data breach.

Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is an important security measure that requires you to provide an additional form of authentication to access an account. By enabling MFA on every account that has it available, you will have a more secure account because a cybercriminal will not be able to access it with just your username and password.

Reset your AT&T passcode

All AT&T customers have a passcode, which is a four-digit PIN that is used to complete an installation and contact technical support by phone. If you were impacted by the data breach, you should reset this code because PINs were exposed in the 2024 AT&T data breach. Since your PIN was exposed, it is absolutely necessary to reset your AT&T passcode to ensure the privacy and security of your account. Here are the steps to resetting your AT&T passcode:

1. Go to your AT&T Profile
2. Find My linked accounts
3. Choose Edit for the passcode
4. Change your passcode and follow the prompts

Contact the IRS

Because sensitive information, including Social Security numbers, was exposed in the 2024 AT&T data breach, it is crucial that you contact the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) about an Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN). The purpose of an IP PIN is to prevent someone else from filing a tax return using your Social Security number, so it helps verify your identity and protects your account. Contact the IRS if you have been a victim of identity theft, and they will send you a new IP PIN.

Continue monitoring your accounts for suspicious activity

Keep checking your online accounts for any suspicious activity. This kind of activity includes, but is not limited to, strange transactions, unrecognized login attempts, sign-ins from unknown devices, etc. You should frequently check your credit during this time as well to make sure everything remains normal with your accounts. 

Sign up for dark web monitoring

Because your information has been exposed to the dark web as someone affected by the 2024 AT&T data breach, you’ll want to sign up for dark web monitoring to protect your other accounts. Some of your information that can be sold on the dark web includes passwords, bank account numbers, your passport number, medical records and more. Signing up for a dark web monitoring tool like BreachWatch^® will notify you if your credentials have been found on the dark web.

Protect your information from data breaches

As important as it is to be aware of the latest major data breaches, it is even more important to consistently protect all of your accounts with strong passwords. To keep your information safe, follow some preventative measures, such as generating unique passwords for your accounts, enabling MFA whenever you can and using a dark web monitoring tool.

Secure your accounts by starting a free 30-day trial of Keeper Password Manager today.