AC poll: Has the latest T-Mobile security breach made you want to switch carriers?

By Jeramy Johnson
published

T-Mobile Store
T-Mobile Store (Image credit: Android Central)

Earlier this week, we all learned about a massive security breach that affected T-Mobile customers. Hackers are said to have stolen the personal information of as many many as 100 million users, which allegedly included social security numbers, driver's license information, and home addresses. As you can imagine, the internet was not happy about what is just the latest in an ongoing string of data leaks across the industry, and some of the loudest and angriest voices were none other than T-Mobile customers.

While T-Mobile has a host of great cell phone plans, it is certainly not the only option, even in the competition-starved U.S. Verizon, AT&T, and their various MVNOs just might see an uptick in new subscribers once the dust from this latest debacle has shaken loose.

So we want to hear from you... is this security breach enough to make you want to leave the "uncarrier" for greener and perhaps more secure pastures? Why or why not?

If you're a current T-Mobile customer, be sure to vote in the poll, and drop us a comment below or on our Twitter or Facebook feeds to let us know what you think.

Jeramy Johnson
Jeramy Johnson
Editor-in-chief

Jeramy is the Editor-in-Chief of Android Central. He is proud to help *Keep Austin Weird* and loves hiking in the hill country of central Texas with a breakfast taco in each hand. You can follow him on Twitter at @jeramyutgw.

18 Comments
  • I've had so many breaches over the years from ALL sorts of avenues that it honestly doesn't even matter anymore. My data has been stolen 10 times over, i've had fake tax returns submitted for my SSN etc. This is the new normal unfortunately.
  • Yep, I'm out...
  • Not really. ATT has had a few, nothing to this scale that I've seen. So has Verizon. We've been contacted by Target in the past, Home Depot. Wawa had their own breach on POS units. the list goes on and on. However, TMo, after several recently, needs to step up and close these servers down. We all need to have credit monitoring for 3 yrs, not just one or 2. If it keeps happening, I'll consider leaving, but I know my bill will go higher, so not certain what the point will be.
  • And from all 3 credit bureaus, not just Experian.
  • Haven't AT&T and Verizon also been hacked multiple times in recent years? Who are we supposed to switch to if we don't want to be hacked???
  • No. Everyone's had a breach at some point. Are you going to keep moving carriers, banks, health insurance, etc every time there's a breach? I work in IA. There are lots of things that can be done to mitigate risk, but risk can never be completely removed. Security is a cat and mouse game between the white hats and black hats. There's always some new exploit out there that is newly discovered and not documented, and can be exploited. Vendors can only patch things so fast. Code developers and security pros are all imperfect people - they'll make mistakes at some point. White hats try to identify the greatest risks and do what they can with the resources they're given by management. At some point, they have to prioritize and take care of the greatest risks and the ones most likely to happen. Some risks may be devastating but have an extremely small likelihood of happening. So the risk is either assumed or transferred with cyberinsurance. It's not a matter of IF you'll get breached. It's a matter of WHEN. Today it was T-Mo. Next time it could be Verizon or AT&T. Protect yourself with credit monitoring, credit file freezes, and for the love of God, stop using easily guessed passwords all over the place.
  • I agree about your assessment of the cat-and-mouse game between businesses and hackers. But I just don't think that T-Mo is trying hard enough. I don't believe they have done everything possible to make their database security as robust as possible. I'm not leaving T-Mo because of this data breach, but because of what I see as their complacency when it comes to database security. All I hear is "blah, blah, blah" when they SWEAR that they "care deeply" about the security of my data
  • I'm fairly new to T-Mobile so I can't speak to their commitment. That said, I'm not sure how many companies are really committed though. I think it's more about embarrassment and their stock price taking a hit rather caring about customers data. Many of these guys already sell most of our data to whomever is willing to buy it. Laws are still fairly lax and we don't have the strong data protections, like those in the EU, for example, Until they're legally required to care, I think they're willing to accept more risk due to the savings than spending the extra bit to shore up their systems.
  • It's not just the breach (even thought it's happening now 3 times!!!), It's the overall decline I've noticed. It's blotchy af and unreliable. And their website experience is abysmal.
  • For me there is NO carrier that can beat T-Mobile. With their over 55 magenta plan with auto pay I actually do NOT need a separate cable/fiber internet access plan! I do all my internet access through my hot-spot on my phone. 40 GB of hot-spot...along with unlimited everything else...is more than enough for me...all for the grand total of $65.00 per month. I save about $50.00 per month by doing things this way. Cannot be beat by any carrier...yet!
  • I dont like giving my ssn to anyone for any reason. These companies don't need my ssn. They should settle for a driver's license number or state issued IDs. The government should make it illegal for companies to require this.
  • Totally agree with you. Businesses only need my SSN If They Are Paying Me. If I am paying the business, they don't need my SSN. I don't give my SSN to my doctor for this very reason (althought they routinely ask for it.) When will businesses understand that the SSN is Not An Identifier. And that the less sensitive information they keep, the less they can lose in a breach???
  • I work in the government sphere. I was affected by the OPM data breach. Should I run from the government? ;)
  • Yes, but not for that reason. :D
  • Umm... You'd have to be a fool to think it couldn't happen to the other carriers as well.
  • I'm not sure. On one hand, I recognize that these breaches are happening nearly everyday to multiple companies around the world. This is simply a new normal. Also, I like the fact that they are offering two years of free identity protection to their customers as a result - something I can use regardless of this occurrence.
    On the other hand, T-Mobile is a multi-billion dollar company whom are trusted by nearly 100 million people to keep their data safe and secure. The fact that they seem to seem to be falling victim to these kinds of attacks multiple times is an outrage. Perhaps hitting them where it hurts would help them realize that what they have been doing is not working and that they need to get a hell of a lot more serious about data security.
  • I switched to Verizon today because of it. This isn't the first time T-Mo has had a data breach and it won't be the last.
  • I agree with those who have said that any business is subject to a breach and lord knows I am way past breach-fatigue. I know that when virtually the entire USA was equi "faxed" in 2017, the sensitive information disclosed in this latest T-Mobile breach was already out there. But...I am ready to quit T-Mobile. I have enjoyed using their cell phone service and the way (back in the day) that John Legere disrupted the extremely complacent Big Three cell carriers. At the end of the day, however, I simply don't believe T-Mobile when they say "that they care deeply about personal identifying information". They Do Not. Hackers go after low hanging fruit and this is the 3rd major data breach at T-Mo in less than 2 years. And each major breach has been progressively worse than the previous one. They have been put on notice and they chose to ignore these warning shots across the bow. So they have been able to determine tht "only" 40+ million people had their data hacked instead of the 107 million trumpeted on social media. That means my data goes from a 1 in 1 chance of being coopted to "only" 1 in 3. So the next time that T-Mobile is hacked, the crooks will coopt their entire database. Why not?? It's just there for the taking, apparently. I think I don't need to pay T-Mo anymore to (not) protect my sensitive information. I can get the same level of cell service and the same level of "deep care" about my data for less money. I was a fan of T-Mo, but the thrill (along with my data) is totally gone.