Telefónica investigates claimed Movistar data breach allegedly exposing millions of customer records
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Spanish telecommunications giant Telefónica is investigating a claimed data breach affecting its Movistar. Cybercriminals claim to have accessed up to 22 million customer records.
A cybersecurity firm HackManac reported that a hacker known as "Dedale" had claimed responsibility for the attack. To substantiate their claims, the attackers released a sample of one million customer records online as proof of the breach.
The hackers claim to have stolen personal details including:
- Full names of customers
- National identification numbers (DNI)
- Mobile phone numbers
- Service plans and subscription details
- Account status updates
The hackers claim to have accessed as many as 22 million records, but the number of affected individuals is unclear, as a single customer may have multiple files. The nature of the attack is not disclosed.
The hacker is demanding a ransom payment of $1,500 (approximately €1,314), a figure dramatically lower than the millions typically demanded in similar large-scale data breaches, so the data files may not be real, or are scraped records from old breaches.
Telefonica has confirmed it is actively investigating the alleged security breach, with a company spokesperson stating: "We are investigating an alleged security breach. The sample released by the actor, which comprises 1 million records, seems to correspond to customers in Peru".
Telefonica is currently verifying the authenticity of the leaked data as part of its ongoing investigation.
