Verizon's Visible confirms hack
'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.
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
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.
Related posts:
— Mike Dano, Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies, Light Reading | @mikeddano
About the Author(s)
You May Also Like