In a recent announcement, AT&T, the telecommunications giant, revealed that it has begun notifying millions of customers about the theft of personal data that was recently discovered online. The dataset, found on the "dark web," reportedly contains sensitive information belonging to both current and former account holders.

According to AT&T, the stolen data includes Social Security numbers for approximately 7.6 million current account holders and 65.4 million former account holders. The company assured customers that it has already taken immediate action by resetting the passcodes of current users. Additionally, AT&T stated that it will be reaching out to affected account holders, whose personal information was compromised.

At this time, it remains unclear whether the stolen data originated from AT&T itself or one of its vendors, stated the company in a released statement. However, AT&T emphasized that the compromised data is from 2019 or earlier and does not appear to include any financial information or call history.

In addition to Social Security numbers and passcodes, the stolen dataset may contain other personal information, such as email and mailing addresses, phone numbers, and birth dates. AT&T is working diligently to investigate the incident and ensure the security of its customers' personal data.

This unfortunate event marks another crisis for AT&T this year. Earlier in February, the company faced a wireless network outage that left numerous customers across the United States without cellphone service for around 12 hours. This outage not only affected AT&T users but also impacted some Consumer Cellular, T-Mobile, UScellular, and Verizon subscribers, causing frustration and even brief disruptions in 911 service in certain communities.

AT&T responded to the network disruption by issuing an apology and offering a $5 credit to affected customers. Now, with the theft of personal data, the company faces further scrutiny and the need to implement additional security measures to safeguard customer information.

As investigations continue into the theft, AT&T is working diligently to address the situation and provide support to affected customers. The company urges all customers to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions to protect their personal information and monitor their accounts for any suspicious activity.

AT&T remains committed to ensuring the privacy and security of its customers' data and will take all necessary steps to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.