'Our investigation indicates that threat actors were able to access username/passwords from outside sources, and exploit that information to login to Visible accounts,' the company reported.

Mike Dano, Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies

October 13, 2021

2 Min Read
Verizon's Visible confirms hack

Visible, an online-only prepaid brand from Verizon, has confirmed to Light Reading it was hacked.

"Visible is aware of an issue in which some member accounts were accessed and/or charged without their authorization. As soon as we were made aware of the issue, we immediately initiated a review and started deploying tools to mitigate the issue and enable additional controls to further protect our customers," the company wrote in response to questions from Light Reading. "Our investigation indicates that threat actors were able to access username/passwords from outside sources, and exploit that information to login to Visible accounts. If you use your Visible username and password across multiple accounts, including your bank or other financial accounts, we recommend updating your username/password with those services."

The confirmation comes shortly after 9to5Mac reported on customer complaints of hackers ordering Visible phones through customer accounts and then having the phones delivered elsewhere. "My account got hacked and they shipped out an iPhone 13 worth $1k that was taken from my PayPal," wrote one customer, according to the publication.

Figure 1: Photo by: Seemanta Dutta / Alamy Stock Photo

Photo by: Seemanta Dutta / Alamy Stock Photo

A Visible representative said the company is working to address the issue, but did not immediately respond to follow-up questions from Light Reading including how many customers were affected, how hackers breached the company's systems, and whether Verizon-branded customers were affected.

"Protecting customer information – including securing customer accounts – is critically important to our company and our customers," the company wrote.

As Light Reading previously reported, Visible is an initiative within Verizon to create an inexpensive, cloud-based wireless service that's sold online.

Visible's hack comes just weeks after Verizon rival T-Mobile reported a massive hack into its systems that affected more than 40 million people, including both T-Mobile customers and those who don't subscribe to the company's services.

The rise of such hacks has sparked widespread concerns, including from the White House. "Cyber threats can affect every American, every business regardless of size, and every community. That's why my administration is marshalling a whole-of-nation effort to confront cyber threats," President Biden said in a statement earlier this month.

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Mike Dano, Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies, Light Reading | @mikeddano

About the Author(s)

Mike Dano

Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies, Light Reading

Mike Dano is Light Reading's Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies. Mike can be reached at [email protected], @mikeddano or on LinkedIn.

Based in Denver, Mike has covered the wireless industry as a journalist for almost two decades, first at RCR Wireless News and then at FierceWireless and recalls once writing a story about the transition from black and white to color screens on cell phones.

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