Freedom Mobile says intruder used subcontractor account to reach customer data
Freedom Mobile disclosed on Dec. 3 that a third party used a subcontractor's account to access personal information of a limited number of customers stored in its customer account management platform, an intrusion it detected on Oct. 23.
Freedom is Canada's fourth-largest wireless carrier, with more than 2.2 million subscribers. Carrier account data such as names, birth dates and account numbers is enough for a fraudster to pose as a customer when calling for a SIM swap or a phone upgrade.
What happened
In its breach notice, Freedom said it quickly identified the activity, blocked the suspicious accounts and related IP addresses, and put additional security measures in place, BleepingComputer reported. The information accessed includes first and last names, home addresses, dates of birth, home or mobile phone numbers and Freedom Mobile account numbers.
A company spokesperson said the carrier's network and operations were not affected and that "this is not a ransomware type of incident." Freedom said it had found no evidence that the data had been misused.
Freedom, founded in 2008 as Wind Mobile, was bought by Quebecor's Videotron in 2023. In 2019 it confirmed a separate incident in which a vendor left a customer support database exposed, affecting about 15,000 customers.
What we don't know yet
Freedom has not said how many customers were affected, how the subcontractor's account was compromised or why disclosure came about six weeks after detection.
What to do
- Be wary of unexpected messages that ask for personal information or send you to a website to provide it.
- Avoid clicking links or opening attachments in unsolicited texts and emails.
- Set an account PIN with Freedom and check your account regularly for unusual activity, such as a SIM change you did not request.
