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Forbes
a day ago
- Business
- Forbes
AT&T Data Breach Payout—Who's Eligible And How To Make A Claim
AT&T has suffered two significant data breaches over the last few years and as a result, millions of customers can now file a claim for a payout of up to $7,500. AFP via Getty Images AT&T has suffered two significant data breaches over the last few years and as a result, millions of customers can now file a claim for a payout of up to $7,500. It comes after AT&T agreed to a $177 million settlement earlier this year. The first of the two breaches in question came to light in March 2024, when the details of 7.6 million AT&T customers and 65 million former account holders were found on the 'dark web' — the underground version of the internet where cybercriminals operate. The actual breach took place five years earlier in 2019. The second, which AT&T admitted to in July 2024, saw nearly customers' data exposed via third party platform Snowflake in a 2022 incident. A federal judge in Texas has now given approval for two settlement funds, for $149 million and $28 million. AT&T denies the allegations and said it had agreed to the settlement to avoid costly litigation. So who is eligible, how much do you get and how do you make a claim? Forbes Google Issues New Update Warning To 3.5 Billion Chrome Users By Kate O'Flaherty You might have already received an email about the AT&T class action payout — in which case, you know you are eligible. It should come from the address attsettlement@ so check your junk mail too. The first class action payout is for the March 2024 data breach and is labelled AT&T 1 Settlement class, according to the newly-set up settlement website. You can apply if your data — including names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth, account passcodes, billing account numbers and social security numbers— was included in the breach. Meanwhile AT&T 2 Settlement Class is for users whose information was involved in the 2022 incident. This includes phone numbers of current and former AT&T customers, as well as the numbers of those they interacted with, call durations and 'in a small number of cases, the cell site identification numbers associated with the interactions,' according to the website. Forbes What Is Tea, The Viral Women-Only App With 1 Million Downloads? By Kate O'Flaherty How much you can claim in the AT&T class action payout depends on which settlement you are applying for, but the individual payouts could be hefty. For Settlement 1, you have two options: A documented loss cash payment of up to $5,000 for losses that occurred in 2019 or later; or a tier cash payment, which is a pro rata share of the AT&T 1 net settlement fund cash. Just to complicate things more, there are two tiers for the latter payment. Tier 1, for AT&T 1 settlement class members who had their social security number exposed, includes a payment five times as large as tier 2, which is for people whose SSNs were not involved in the breach. For AT&T 2 settlement class, the documented loss cash payment is up to $2,500 per person for losses that occurred on or after April 14, 2024. Again, there is an option for a pro rata share of the AT&T 2 Net Settlement Fund cash. I contacted AT&T for a comment and will update this article if the firm responds. You will need to submit a claim form online by Nov. 18, or you can do so by mail to the address listed on the settlement website. You can, of course, apply for both payouts at a total of $7,500, but you will need to file each claim separately. Forbes iOS 18—Here's Why There's A New Black Dot On Your iPhone By Kate O'Flaherty Note that in both cases, you need to be able to prove you were affected by the AT&T data breach, including any losses you incurred as a result. A final approval hearing has been set for Dec. 3, after which the settlement payments will start to be sent out, so expect to see your money around the start of 2026. With payouts of up to $7,500 per person, the AT&T data breach settlement shows the real impact of people's data being exposed online. Yet for customers whose details were exposed, the genie is already out of the bottle. When it's sensitive information such as your social security number, the AT&T class action payout might not seem so large.
Forbes
17-04-2025
- Forbes
Apple iOS 18.4.1 New iPhone Software: Should You Upgrade?
After the major release of iOS 18.4 on Monday, March 31, many thought the next update would be iOS 18.5, expected in May. But no, a swift smaller update has just been delivered, with fixes and security updates to the fore. Apple iPhone 16 Pro on sale in an Apple Store. AFP via Getty Images Note that I'll be updating this post over the coming week and will make a final assessment on Thursday, April 24. Apple iOS 18.4.1, like other iOS 18 software updates is compatible with all iPhones from 2018 onwards. That means the iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max and all more recent iPhones, including the second- and third-generation iPhone SE models as well as the recently-released iPhone 16e. It's a cinch to be up to date: just open the iPhone Settings app, click on General, then Software Update. Next, it's Download and Install, and the software will download from there. This is not a huge download so it should be speedy. There are no new features in this update, as is usually the case when there are two dots in the release identity. Instead, it's about putting things right. As soon as iOS 18.4 launched, there was talk of people who use Apple CarPlay wirelessly running into trouble and being unable to connect. That's the issue that Apple mentioned in its release notes, specifying that the problem was 'rare' and that the update fixed it. Part of the rarity is that it only affected 'certain vehicles,' Apple said. There are two iPhone security flaws fixed in this update and both, worryingly, are used in real-life attacks, though it's thought they have been used against 'specific targeted individuals,' rather than everybody. That could have changed if they hadn't been fixed. One was an issue in CoreAudio on the iPhone, which caused problems through maliciously crafted media files. The other was a vulnerability which could allow an 'extremely sophisticated attack,' Apple said. Fellow Senior Contributor Kate O'Flaherty has more on these issues here at Forbes. These have been mixed, with one user saying that the problem they had with wired Apple CarPlay isn't fixed (the update is about wireless CarPlay) and another saying a HomeKit bug is still there. There were reactions, as usual, saying battery life was dented, though this will likely change in the coming days — I'll be watching this. But no new issues seem to have been introduced, so far. Those real-life attacks are a serious enough reason to upgrade as soon as you can, though please check back next week. I'll be monitoring the situation throughout the week. For now, though, upgrade.
Forbes
01-04-2025
- Forbes
Apple iOS 18.4 Major New iPhone Software: Should You Upgrade?
Apple surprised many by releasing the latest iPhone software update early: having teased that iOS 18.4 would be released in early April, the general release dropped on March 31. Here's all you need to know. Apple iOS 18.4 Note that I'll be updating this post over the coming week and will make a final assessment on Tuesday, April 8. Apple iOS 18.4 is for everyone with compatible iPhones. That means all iPhones from the iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max released in 2018 and all subsequent iPhones, including the second- and third-generation iPhone SE models as well as the latest iPhone 16e. To get it, open the iPhone Settings app, click on General, then choose Software Update. Next, you want Download and Install, and the software will download from there. There's a lot in this update. Read full details here. In essence, there's a series of new features for iPhone 16 users, and iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max owners in the form of Apple Intelligence enhancements. Apple Intelligence is also being rolled out for eight more languages. There are new emoji, eight of them, too. There's a new Apple Vision Pro app for owners of the headset, improvements to the Photos app and a marked focus on food in News+. Oh my, there are a lot of security issues here—62 vulnerabilities in total. If that sounds like it's a lot, it's because it is. Some are minor, some are serious. They include problems with WebKit, which is at the heart of the Safari browser and the iPhone Kernel, which is key to the iOS system itself. Fellow Senior Contributor Kate O'Flaherty has more on these issues here at Forbes. Apart from some loud press reactions claiming that battery life has been ruined for some users, the majority of reactions has been pretty positive, with comments such as one user who said, 'probably one of the much better IOS 18 updates we've had so far… and I've actually noticed better battery performance,' for instance. In fact, most negatives seemed to be more about minor things, such as taking a long time to install (well, it is a big download, weighing 3.76GB on some iPhones). Because of the numerous security issues and relatively positive reactions, this is a definite update verdict for now. Please check back next week for the final verdict.
