Telefónica on alert over possible data breach of 120,000 customers and employees | Companies

Data theft puts major Spanish companies under control. Following an “unauthorized access” to Banco Santander’s database 14 days ago, Telefonica now faces a potential leak of information on more than 120,000 clients. According to publications on specialized forums, in March of this year, the telecommunications giant suffered a cyber attack that allowed criminals to gain access to more than 2 million records of the company’s customers and employees.

Official Telefonica sources say the company is investigating the legitimacy of information the actor claims to have online. Other sources in the sector indicate that it all happened due to messages on the Internet from users who claim to have accessed a number of company data. This access must have taken place in March, eliminating the possibility that the cyberattack could have occurred now.

In any case, Telefonica is investigating whether there were any breaches of security systems, both its own and those of others. However, according to the aforementioned sources, this will not be sensitive user data such as passwords or bank accounts.

According to information revealed this morning, the attacked database will contain basic information about consumers, ranging from their address to email. The goal of cybercriminals is to sell information to other potential interested parties, but without specifying a specific price.

Cyberattack portal Hackmanac advises customers to “be wary of potential identity theft attempts.” The main recommendation of experts in these cases is to always confirm the veracity of any message received. When in doubt, it is recommended to avoid accessing links that ask for personal information, especially bank or credit card information.

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In its 2023 annual report, Telefónica stressed that there were “no relevant security incidents” or events “that would have had sufficient impact to be reported to financial market supervisors.” The company clarifies that it has 17 incident response centers, from where it can respond to violations and minimize the consequences of cyber threats.

In 2022, the company reported that cybercriminals had obtained router configuration data for an unspecified number of Movistar and O2 customers. Although no sensitive information was found among the data, Telefónica asked its customers to update their fiber passwords.

Much more serious was the “hack” that occurred in 2017, when a telecommunications company suffered an attack that prevented access to certain parts of its internal systems and caught the company by surprise. Experts emphasized that this was a “global attack” that affected telecom activities in more than 100 countries.

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