JAKARTA – A major data leak has shaken the global telecommunications industry again. More than six million Verizon customer data were reported stolen and are now freely sold by hackers for only about 1,200 US dollars or the equivalent of 20 million rupiah.
This incident began with a hack against Russell Cellular, one of Verizon’s largest retail partners. According to a Cybernews report, the perpetrator managed to access a database measuring around 61GB containing sensitive customer and employee information.
Sensitive Data Leaked, Modus Penipuan Meningkat
The leaked data includes full names, phone numbers, email addresses, and customer account numbers. Not only that, device information such as IMEI, tracking numbers, and service package details are also exposed.
More worrying, Russell Cellular employee data was also affected. The hacker is said to have managed to get usernames, passwords, and even the level of access to internal systems. In fact, some passwords are stored in plain text – a serious gap that makes it easier for perpetrators to enter the company’s system.
With this combination of data, perpetrators have the potential to carry out fraud that is much more convincing. The method can be in the form of impersonating Verizon or official retailers to trick victims into providing credit card information or account access.
The risk also extends to the personal lives of employees. If the same password is used for other accounts such as social media or banking, potential breaches can occur in a chain.
Currently, Verizon is said to have learned of the incident and is conducting an investigation. However, neither Verizon nor Russell Cellular has revealed in detail the full impact of this leak.
For users who have ever purchased a device through Russell Cellular, vigilance is the key. Periodically changing passwords and being cautious of suspicious messages or emails are the first steps to avoid the trap of cyber attacks, which are now more sophisticated – and ironically, cheaper to do.
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