Telecom giant AT&T Inc. allegedly paid $400,000 in Bitcoin to hackers who claimed to have compromised its network and stolen sensitive information in 2022.
The hackers reportedly demanded the ransom to delete call and text logs of almost all of AT&T’s wireless customers, spanning over six months. This revelation comes from a Bloomberg report based on the hacker’s claims.
However, the media in its attempt to get a comment from AT&T did not get any response on the ransom payment issue. Likewise, the FBI and the Department of Justice failed to say whether any payment was made.
An expert in ransomware, who preferred to remain anonymous due to the nature of the subject, has also corroborated that AT&T made the ransom payment. The hacker offered a Bitcoin wallet number and an analysis showed a probable extortion transaction in May 2022.
Blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis Inc. corroborated that an unidentified actor transferred 1,410 BTC, or about $380,000 at the time of the transaction, into the hacker’s wallet ID.
A smaller sum was then sent from this wallet to that of a notorious cybercriminal. However, Chainalysis could not ascertain whether or not AT&T made the payment or if a third party was involved.
The hacker also made a seven-minute video as evidence that he deleted the stolen data to honor the deal with AT&T. However, some analysts opine that $400,000 is inadequate for such a sensitive data breach.
They compared it with the $4.4 million demanded and paid by Colonial Pipeline Co. to hackers in 2021 when the pipeline was closed and disrupted gas supplies to the U. S. East Coast.
The allegations of AT&T’s ransom payment show that ransomware threat is still present and can have significant consequences for businesses.
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