Altice USA alticeusa.com Altice USA data breach: what happened and what to do
In November 2019 a phishing attack exposed the email credentials of some Altice USA employees. Mailboxes were downloaded, and Altice's annual report says personal information of current and former employees and some customers was exposed. The breach became public in February 2020.
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- 4 Nov 2019
- Last updated
Reviewed by Anthon Wansland
Head of Product & Co-Founder
Serus is a privacy company with paid tools to find and remove your personal data. This page is free and based on official sources.
What happened
Altice USA, the cable and broadband company behind Optimum and Suddenlink, disclosed in its 2019 annual report (Form 10-K) that a phishing attack in November 2019 exposed some employees' email credentials. Attackers used them to download mailboxes.
During its investigation, the company learned in January 2020 that some of those mailboxes held password-protected reports containing personal information about current employees and some former employees. The breach was made public on February 5, 2020, and the California Attorney General's list shows it reported on February 6, 2020.
Sources checked: sec.gov, oag.ca.gov, cyware.com
Last verified against the official page:
Who was affected
The filing says personal information of current and former employees and some customers was exposed. Press reports say the data included Social Security numbers and dates of birth, and that Altice offered one year of free identity and credit monitoring through Experian. The number of people is reported inconsistently, from about 12,000 current employees in early coverage to almost 53,000 current and former employees in a later class action filing, so no single total is reliable.
What followed
Class action lawsuits followed, and a proposed settlement would pay people for time spent dealing with the breach and add credit monitoring and security requirements. The final approval status is not public in the reporting available.
If you worked for Altice or its predecessor companies around 2019, treat your Social Security number as exposed until your notice says otherwise.
What to do if you were in it
- 1
Freeze your credit at all three bureaus
A credit freeze is free and stops anyone opening new credit in your name. Place one at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion; the FTC explains how. Do this if you worked for Altice or received a notice.
- 2
Use the free credit monitoring if you still can
Altice USA, according to press reports, offered one year of free credit monitoring. The FTC recommends taking such offers. If you kept your letter, check whether the enrollment deadline has passed, and if it has, a credit freeze still protects you.
- 3
Expect phishing that mentions the breach
Altice and Optimum scams often reuse real employee or account details. Don't click links or call numbers in unexpected messages. Go to the company's own website instead, and report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- 4
Report misuse and watch your reports
Check your credit reports at annualcreditreport.com. If someone uses your details, report it at IdentityTheft.gov to get a recovery plan.
- 5
Check whether your email or phone is in other breaches
A free Serus scan checks breach databases for your email address and phone number, so you know what else is out there. Serus can't remove breach data, but it alerts you when your details turn up and tells you what to do.
Official filings
- California Attorney General , filed 6 Feb 2020
Timeline
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The breach happened
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Reported to the California Attorney General
Frequently asked
Was I affected by the Altice USA breach?
Altice notified current and former employees and some customers it identified. If you received a notice, you were affected.
How many people were affected?
Sources disagree. Early press said about 12,000 current employees plus some former employees and customers, and a later lawsuit alleges almost 53,000 current and former employees.
Is there a settlement?
A proposed class action settlement for employees was filed, per press coverage. The final approval status is not public in the reporting.
Should I freeze my credit?
If your Social Security number was in your notice, yes. A freeze is free at all three bureaus.
Sources
- sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1702780/000162828020001613/atus-20191231.htm
- oag.ca.gov/privacy/databreach/list
- cyware.com/news/altice-usa-hit-by-email-scam-leaking-thousands-of-employees-and-customers-data-020130f5
- lawstreetmedia.com/news/tech/employees-move-sdny-court-for-initial-settlement-approval-in-altice-data-breach-class-action/
- consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-credit-freezes-and-fraud-alerts
- identitytheft.gov
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