2 May 2023
Is Cyber Security just a cost of doing business or is it something that enables and enhances your business? That question came to mind as I was reading about the ninth breach of T-Mobile since 2018 here: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/05/t-mobile-discloses-2nd-data-breach-of-2023-this-one-leaking-account-pins-and-more/ My first thought as I read about the breach was, “This is why I don’t have a T-Mobile account.” In fairness, they are hardly alone in that club and if I chose not to do business with any company that had to issue a breach notification, I’m sure I’d have to live on an island (this one looks nice although not secluded enough to protect against cyber attacks https://www.privateislandsonline.com/asia/thailand/rangyai-island ).
But 9 in only a few years. Is that something we notice only because they’re large enough that we recognize the brand or is that indicative of a larger problem within their walls? Does it matter at this point?
I have no inside information but In my experience this number of breaches indicates issues with the cyber security program and often with senior level support of the program. Over the years we’ve seen T-Mobile get better but I think there’s room to consider how Cyber Security should be a strategic investment for any company.
I note that T-Mobile is looking for a senior penetration tester and seems to be paying good rates to the right person. That says to me that they are seriously applying effort to shore up their cyber security program. https://careers.t-mobile.com/job-details/18047056/sr-engineer-penetration-testing-bellevue-wa/ I also note some other well-known companies are looking for similar at much lower rates. Will we see those companies in the news anytime soon?
I’ll keep my eye on T-Mobile and consider becoming a customer when results of their efforts have some mileage behind them. I appreciate a good come-back story and a company that strives to protect their customer’s data.