Frontier Communications Data Breach Investigation
The Lyon Firm is investigating a data security incident at Frontier Communications on behalf of individuals nationwide following a confirmed cyberattack on the company’s networks. If you believe your personal data may have been leaked or stolen in this incident, contact our lawyers to learn more about your legal options and what it means to file a class action data breach lawsuit. Free and confidential consultations.
What Happened at Frontier Communications?
The telecommunications company, Frontier Communications, informed the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this week that certain company systems were shut down following a confirmed cyberattack.
The data security incident, the company noted in a Form 8-K filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, was identified on April 14. The statement says a third-party “gained unauthorized access to portions of its information technology environment.”
After an initial investigation, Frontier determined that an unauthorized actor may have accessed sensitive information. To be clear, there is not yet evidence of any data theft. However, when similar cyberattacks have occurred in the past, personal information has been exposed online. Frontier has not noted what data could be at risk, however according to state reporting guidelines, “personal information” or PII can include the following:
- Name
- Social Security number
- Home Address
- Date of birth
- Driver’s License or State ID
- Biometric data, including fingerprints, voice prints and retina or iris imaging
- Telecommunication access device
- Account numbers
Frontier said it contained the incident after shutting down certain systems, which resulted in “an operational disruption.” According to the information Frontier Communications has at this time, the attack appears to be the work of a cybercrime group that gained access to various personally identifiable information of clients.
The company has not said what type of cyberattack it was, file-encrypting ransomware was likely involved, as shutting down company systems is the typical immediate response to ransomware attacks. The company noted that law enforcement and cybersecurity specialists have been contacted to conduct a full investigation. They also posted a notice on its website to inform visitors that it was experiencing “technical issues with our internal support systems.”
Frontier’s mobile apps were also down for some time, with a warning message displayed after launching the application. According to an internal memo, a network outage took down the following applications and platforms:
- Virtual Front Office (VFO) Local (LSR/ISP) Module
- Virtual Front Office (VFO) Access (ASR) Module
- Virtual Front Office (VFO) Trouble Administration (TA) Module
- E-Bonded Applications – EDI, UOM, TML
- Customer Wholesale Portal (CWP)
- Wholesale Operations Website (https://wholesale.frontier.com)
- Wholesale Billing Online tools (CTS, CABS Portal, COBRA)
Contact our legal team to learn more about how to protect yourself after a cyberattack results in a data breach. You should remain vigilant for fraud and know the risks of a data theft event. We believe very strongly that any company that collects and stores your data has a duty to protect it. Any instance of data theft could be grounds for legal action. Call now to discuss your case.