Hackers Charged in Data Theft Affecting 110 Million AT&T Customers
By targeting the vulnerabilities in cloud-hosted data services, two hackers breached AT&T’s systems and stole approximately 50 billion call and text records from around 110 million AT&T customers. Furthermore, they were able to gain access to sensitive data like Social Security and driver’s license numbers, which went undetected until April.
As a result, the U.S. Department of Justice has indicted Connor Moucka and John Binns, linking them to multiple breaches targeting companies such as AT&T, Santander Bank and Ticketmaster, by hacking into Snowflake, a cloud-computing data service company. Extorted ransoms reached up to $2.5 million in Bitcoin (TechCrunch).
Iranian Phishing Hackers Charged with Trump Campaign Cyberattack
Three members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps face U.S. charges after hacking the Trump campaign to destabilize the 2024 election. The operatives used phishing attacks to access emails and other campaign materials. The Iranian government, accused of seeking revenge for the 2020 assassination of Qassem Soleimani, has escalated cyber aggression, which includes targeting prominent figures and circulating stolen data (Wall Street Journal).
Cyberattack Exposes Information of 300,000 Hospital Patients
A cyberattack on the law firm Thompson Coburn compromised sensitive data belonging to over 300,000 Presbyterian Healthcare Services patients, including Social Security numbers, medical records, and health insurance details. The breach allowed unauthorized access to protected health information (PHI) on the firm’s network (Security Breach).
Chinese Hackers Penetrate U.S. Telecommunications Infrastructure
A group of hackers, believed to be linked to China’s Ministry of State Security, accessed core layers of U.S. telecom networks, obtaining call logs, unencrypted texts, and voice data over several months. Operating under the name Salt Typhoon, they targeted specific political and national-security figures, including Trump and Harris campaign affiliates (Wall Street Journal).
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It's time to take action to protect your dealership from potential cyber threats. We’re offering a complementary cyber security training session specifically designed for car dealership employees.
Here’s what you get with our training:
- Practical strategies to protect your dealership data from phishing and other threats
- Flexible scheduling to suit your team’s convenience
- Online or in-person sessions
To schedule your complementary session, feel free to contact me directly at 423.267.6858 ex 704 or glenn.grakov@george-wealthmanagement.com.
We can't say when the next cyber attack will strike, but it's inevitable.