Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years.
TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust.
In a nutshell: US-based home security and alarm monitoring company ADT recently experienced a cybersecurity incident in which hackers gained unauthorized access to some customer data. ADT disclosed the incident in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. According to the brief report, ADT shut down the hackers' access shortly after becoming aware of the incident.
An investigation into the incident was launched in coordination with third party cybersecurity experts, and it was determined that customer information including physical addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addressed had been accessed during the attack.
ADT said it has no reason to believe that customers' home security systems were compromised during the attack. Furthermore, there is no evidence to suggest that sensitive customer information like payment card data or banking information was compromised.
The home security company said it was continuing its investigation and had already notified impacted customers. ADT did not reveal exactly how many customers may have been exposed, but insisted it was a small percentage of its overall subscriber base.
As of June 2024, ADT was responsible for watching over the homes of approximately six million customers.
The disclosure comes roughly a week after a user on a well-known cybercrime forum posted more than 30,000 ADT customer records for sale. TechCrunch viewed the post but was unable to verify the authenticity of the claim at the time. It's not clear if that data is from this breach, but it is not a stretch to imagine it is. The publication reached out to ADT with questions about the incident but a spokesperson had not replied by the time the story went live.
ADT got its start way back in 1874 as American District Telegraph, and has evolved with the times to remain relevant. In 2016, the company was acquired by Apollo Global Management for close to $7 billion.
ADT said it does not believe the security breach will have a material impact on its operations or financial condition.
Image credit: Binyamin Mellish, Pixabay