According to TechCrunch, Google has told consumers of its Fi mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) service that hackers were able to access some of their information. The rogue actors, according to the internet giant, penetrated a third-party system used for customer assistance at Fi’s principal network provider. While Google does not specify the provider, Fi is connected through US Cellular and T-Mobile. In mid-January, the latter confirmed that hackers had been stealing data from its networks since November of the previous year.
T-Mobile said that the attackers stole the information of around 37 million postpaid and prepaid users before the company detected and fixed the problem. The airline stated at the time that no passwords, financial information, or social security numbers were obtained. Google Fi confirms the same, adding that no PINs or text message/call data were stolen. Only phone numbers, account statuses, SMS card serial numbers, and certain service plan information, such as international roaming, seemed to be accessible to the hackers.
According to reports, Google assured most customers that they didn’t need to do anything and that it is still working with Fi’s network provider to “identify and execute actions to safeguard the data on that third-party system and notify everyone possibly affected.” Suffering said that at least one client claimed to be having more significant problems than others as a result of the incident. On Reddit, they published a portion of Google’s alleged email to them, which said that their “mobile phone service was moved from [their] SIM card to another SIM card” for about two hours on January 1st.
The consumer said that they got the password reset alerts from Outlook, their cryptocurrency wallet account, and the two-factor authentication service Authy on the same day. They submitted logs to 9to5Google to show that the attackers used their phone numbers to receive text messages that gave them access to those accounts. Based on their Fi text history, the criminal actors began seeking two-factor authentication credentials and resetting passwords through SMS within one minute of moving their SIM card. The user was apparently only able to restore control of their accounts by turning network access on and off on their iPhone, however, it’s unclear whether this was the cause of the problem.
