Further on from my previous articles on online data storage and services ( On-line storage – safe or not?,
Windows and online banking, Local insurance company loses client data, Data loss for Sidekick users Part 2 and
Apple and data leakage? ) AT&T have had a massive data leak of email addresses and ICC-IDs (unique serial numbers that identify each SIM card ). And the information could apparently be used for more than snding the users a little extra spam.
Attackers can use the information to learn the names and phone numbers of the leaked users, and can even track their position. The iPad’s SIMs are going to be used for data, rather than voice, connectivity, which does reduce the impact of the problem a bit—attackers can’t eavesdrop on phone calls that don’t even exist, and encrypted Internet traffic will remain protected—but the breach does still leave iPad users trackable, and vulnerable to hijacking or eavesdropping of any unencrypted traffic.
The FBI has previously said they are looking into how the details of approximately 114000 users were compromised. The list includes officials from the FCC, FAA, NASA, and the Army members as early technology users.
