Learning from T-Mobile’s Cybersecurity Mistakes

As one of the largest carrier cybersecurity breaches on record, T-Mobile’s August 2021 breach offers many valuable lessons on the importance of enterprise cybersecurity.

The T-Mobile breach

In the summer of 2021, a young adult named John Binns had been scanning T-Mobile’s internet addresses for weak spots when he discovered an unprotected router exposed to the internet. He used this entry point to hack into a data center outside of East Wenatchee, Washington, and used stored credentials to access over a 100 servers.

After a week of digging into the servers, he stole over 50 million customer records containing names, social security numbers, dates of birth, and personal ID information. Many of the records stolen were for past or prospective customers.

How to protect your company from cyberattacks

While T-Mobile’s summer breach was astounding and concerning on its own, it was the third major data leak the network had disclosed in two years. Since the breach, T-Mobile has continued to experience attacks and leaks. Their mistakes teach valuable lessons, such as the need to:

• Create robust data management practices: Data storage and organization will ensure data quality and security. T-Mobile’s improper data management led to former and current customers losing their private information. You can protect your company and customers by creating thorough data management practices to defend your data.
• Utilize basic security controls: From segmentation to strict password policies, security protocols should lock hackers out of your system and notify your security teams immediately. A few practices such as using rate limits and multifactor authentication can help protect passwords, as can being careful about what devices and networks you use for testing.
• Invest in detection and response: T-Mobile failed to recognize and respond quickly to attacks, leading to data leaks and reputational damage. Your company can defend itself by using extensive detection and response efforts to identify and respond to breaches immediately. Your teams should also diligently search for potential entry points and quickly create patches for them.
• Prioritize security: One of the best ways to improve cybersecurity is to prioritize it. Take a proactive stance by educating your teams, scheduling penetration testing, and being diligent. Hackers are only becoming more sophisticated in their attacks, requiring your company to be vigilant in defense and recovery.

Agio’s enterprise cybersecurity solutions

Protect your data and reputation by investing in professional cybersecurity solutions from Agio. Our team has the dedication and urgency your business requires to protect your systems and defend against hackers. Learn more about our cybersecurity capabilities today.