Cybersecurity
T-Mobile Says Hacker Used Specialized Tools, Brute Force
- Wireless company hires Mandiant, KPMG to improve defenses
- Breach was fourth to compromise user records in four years
Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
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T-Mobile US Inc. said a cyberattack earlier this month that exposed millions of customer records was carried out using specialized tools to gain entry to the network, followed by brute force-style hacking techniques to access user data.
“In short, this individual’s intent was to break in and steal data, and they succeeded,” Chief Executive Officer Mike Sievert said Friday in a statement, the company’s fullest account yet of what happened. The company has hired cybersecurity provider Mandiant Corp. and consulting firm KPMG LLC to improve its defenses, he said.