AT&T Pays Hacker $370,000 in Bitcoin to Erase Stolen Customer Data

AT&T paid a hacker around $370,000 in Bitcoin to delete customer data that was stolen from the company earlier in 2024. The hack was part of a larger hacking spree in 2024 that compromised over 160 companies using stolen Snowflake employee credentials. AT&T negotiated the ransom through a security researcher intermediary called "Reddington" on behalf of the ShinyHunters hacking group. Reddington believes the only complete copy of the stolen AT&T data was deleted, but excerpts may still exist elsewhere. Reddington also negotiated ransoms for other companies hacked in the same spree.