Tim Kravchunovsky, founder and CEO of the decentralised telecommunications network Chirp believes that as cybercriminals become more sophisticated, it’s no longer enough to rely on existing infrastructure and security methods.
“This isn’t the first time AT&T has lost customer data to a breach, yet sufficient improvements haven’t been made to avoid this latest incident.
“So, we must ask ourselves if existing mobile providers are fit for purpose in this new world we live in.”
The leak, which affected customers over the weekend, involved a breach of data that appears to be from 2019 or earlier – linked to 7.6 million customers and 65.4 million former account holders.
It also includes information such as full names, email addresses and dates of birth, although AT&T said financial information hadn’t appeared in the leak.
Reports of the breach surfaced on a hacking forum almost two weeks ago and it is unclear if the leak is linked to a similar breach in 2021 that was widely reported, but that AT&T didn’t acknowledge.
A hacker at the time claimed to have access to data of 70 million AT&T customers, including their names addresses, phone numbers, SSNs and date of birth.
Preventative measures
“There are certainly plenty of enhanced security options out there that could have prevented this incident and ensured personal data security, one of which is blockchain technology,” Kravchunovskysays.
“Blockchain-based data storage can enhance security with its immutability, institutional-grade encryption, and sophisticated protection from multiple attack vectors.
In the blockchain space, data security has been a key concern for years, and cyberattacks have become increasingly advanced.
“But the legacy telecom giants are too slow to catch up with this reality,” he adds.
“We need innovative solutions based on new technologies to solve this issue. If we leave it up to the regulators and the incumbents, we could be waiting a very long time indeed.”
