AT&T Sends apologies to security breach iPad owners

After last week’s security breach in which the email addresses of iPad owners were harvested by hackers, AT&T has now sent letters to apologies to the customers concerned, as reported by Engadget who have a full copy of the letter.

Hackers were able to intercept the email addresses because they were sent unencrypted when the iPad’s were connecting to AT&T’s network.  The mobile phone company says the flaw in it’s network that allowed this has now been patched.

In the letter the company says…

I want to assure you that the email address and ICC-ID were the only information that was accessible. Your password, account information, the contents of your email, and any other personal information were never at risk. The hackers never had access to AT&T communications or data networks, or your iPad. AT&T 3G service for other mobile devices was not affected.

While the attack was limited to email address and ICC-ID data, we encourage you to be alert to scams that could attempt to use this information to obtain other data or send you unwanted email. You can learn more about phishing by visiting the AT&T website.

AT&T takes your privacy seriously and does not tolerate unauthorized access to its customers’ information or company websites. We will cooperate with law enforcement in any investigation of unauthorized system access and to prosecute violators to the fullest extent of the law.

…and it is signed by the Senior Vice President for Public Policy and their Chief Privacy Officer, Dorothy Attwood.

AT&T say they’re working with law enforcement agencies to try and discover who was behind the hack, and questions still may need to be asked about any culpability that Apple may have with a tablet that would allow information to be broadcast in such a manner as it could be intercepted at all.

You can read the full apology email at the Engadget website.

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Author: Mike Halsey MVP, Monday June 14, 2010 -
Tags:att, hack, Hacking, ipad