While AT&T told me Sunday evening that they believe the data swiped from Snowflake is no longer publicly available (which would be due to the more than $370,000 paid to one of the hackers to have the files deleted), experts warned that the data from January 2nd, 2023, which included cell site identification numbers, could have been used to compute customer addresses based on the triangulation of data.
“The inclusion of cell site identification numbers in the stolen data is particularly alarming, as it could potentially allow for the triangulation of users’ locations. This adds a physical dimension to the already extensive privacy violation and could expose individuals to highly targeted and convincing social engineering attacks, not to mention compromising the physical security of individuals, such as those trying to escape abusive relationships.”-Javvad Malik, lead security awareness advocate at KnowBe4
The more basic metadata taken could still have been used for phishing attacks, identity thefts, and other malicious deeds according to Javvad Malik, lead security awareness advocate at KnowBe4. So if you’re an AT&T customer or a subscriber to one of the aforementioned MVNOs, you should be hoping that AT&T is correct and that the data taken from Snowflake was deleted and cannot be used to scam subscribers. As usual, use common sense when receiving an email or phone call that asks for your personal data such as social security numbers, passwords, and PINs.