In a dramatic action to bolster its cybersecurity measures, T-Mobile agreed to invest millions of dollars in a settlement with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The agreement calls for T-Mobile to pay $15.75 million in civil penalties to the U.S. Treasury and make an equivalent investment in its internal cybersecurity measures.
According to the FCC, this settlement marked a significant milestone in telecommunication.
Background of Data Breaches at T-Mobile
T-Mobile has suffered numerous data breaches over the past couple of years, including massive breaches involving millions of customer social security numbers, addresses, and driver's license identification information.
According to Ars Technica, this settlement resolves several investigations regarding cybersecurity events that took place in 2021, 2022, and 2023. According to the FCC, these probes revealed a line-up of breach techniques and attack vectors targeting millions of mobile phone subscribers.
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Previous Penalties and Accountability
Recently, the carrier lost $60 million because it did not report unauthorized access to sensitive data within the contractual timeline. It breached the national security agreement stipulated when it acquired Sprint.
The financial implications of this fact indicate that robust cybersecurity is no longer an option but will also point fingers at telecom service providers for failing to make adequate cybersecurity provisions.
Major Cyber Security Upgrade made by T-Mobile
The Verge reports that the agreement requires T-Mobile to agree that they shall ensure the following key enhancements in the cybersecurity framework:
Enhanced Corporate Governance
T-Mobile will strengthen its corporate governance to ensure the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) submits a timely report to the board of directors about the status of the organization's cybersecurity and associated business risks. It is done because providing visibility and expertise on cybersecurity will establish itself as a high priority.
Adoption of Zero-Trust Architecture
The company would adopt an architectural approach in zero trust, which calls for moving toward a network segment approach toward improving security. It's essential for security posture improvement in any organization that will limit based on verification instead of defaulting on any trust assumption.
Strong Identity and Access Management
T-Mobile will extend MFA ubiquitously across its network. It will also secure critical infrastructure, especially for telecommunication networks. Cyber affairs experts suggest that the significant, frequently present, and primary reason for breaches and ransomware attacks is the malicious misuse of authentication mechanisms, including credential theft and/or its sale. It could then significantly enhance T-Mobile's overall cybersecurity posture by implementing best identity and access management practices.
The settlement of the FCC and T-Mobile is an exemplary development that has strengthened the cybersecurity weaknesses within the telecommunications sector.
With such heavy investments in governance, technology, and identity management, it appears that T-Mobile protects its customers and serves as an industry role model.
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