After the discovery of hackers posting in an underground forum, the mobile communications company, T-Mobile, confirmed earlier this month that over 40 million pieces of customers’ data were stolen by hackers.
Records from 7.8 million current T-Mobile customer accounts in addition to 40 million records of former or prospective customers were accessed in the breach, with an additional 5.3 million current customers and 667,000 former customers stolen data discovered last Friday.
Although no phone numbers, account numbers, PINs, passwords, or other financial information were compromised in the breach, information that has been stolen includes dates of birth, social security numbers, and driver’s license information.
T-Mobile has recommended that all customers change their PIN associated with their account in addition to offering additional protection services such as McAfee’s ID Theft Protection Service and Account Takeover Protection capabilities for all customers.
The seller of the information has asked for six bitcoins, currently worth around $270,000, in exchange for 30 million social security numbers and driver’s licenses. The seller has also privately offered the rest of the breached information.
The wireless carrier is now facing two class-action lawsuits filed by frustrated customers.
Both plaintiff’s complaints were filed Thursday, August 19th in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
Bloomberg reported that both lawsuits have accused T-Mobile of violating the California Consumer Privacy Act which allows any Californian the right to view all of the information a company has saved on them, as well as a full list of third parties in which that data is shared with.
One of the lawsuits also accused T-Mobile of violating the Washington State Consumer Protection Act for having poor data security.
The company has announced on its website that they have “continued to work around the clock on the forensic analysis and investigation into the cyberattack against T-Mobile systems while also taking several proactive steps to protect customers and others whose information may have been exposed.”
While the investigation is ongoing, the organization has committed to full transparency and support for those impacted by the breach in addition to a commitment towards preventative measures for the future.
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