Google Fi confirms customer data breach by hackers

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American tech conglomerate Google has notified customers using its Google Fi cell service that some personal data may have been stolen in a recent cyberattack.

According to The Verge, an American technology news website, the cyberattack is believed to be in connection with a T-Mobile data breach earlier this month. Google said in an email sent to Google Fi customers on Monday that the cell network’s primary network provider had become aware of suspicious activity in a system containing Google Fi customer data.

The company doesn’t specifically identify T-Mobile as its principal service provider in the email, despite the fact that Google Fi is an MVNO that primarily connects to the US Cellular and T-Mobile networks.

According to Google, hackers may have gained access to some user data through the compromised system, including phone numbers, SIM card serial numbers, account status, and information on mobile service plans.

Names, email addresses, credit card information, government IDs, passwords, or pin numbers were among the types of personal information that were not stored in the system.

Google reassured customers that there is no need for Fi users to take any further action, and that there was no unauthorized access to Google’s own systems or any systems overseen directly by Google.

As per The Verge, both the timing of the announcement and Google Fi’s relationship with T-Mobile suggest that this breach directly links to a cyber-attack earlier this month that impacted 37 million T-Mobile customers. It was the eighth T-Mobile hack since 2018.