TECHNOLOGY
Hackers Lurked in Telecom Giant's Network for Months
Texas, USAFri Oct 31 2025
Hackers Sneaked Around Systems for Nearly a Year
A major telecom company, Ribbon, recently disclosed that hackers, likely government-backed, had been lurking in its systems for nearly a year. The revelation came in a public report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Who is Ribbon?
- Based in Texas
- Offers phone, internet, and networking services
- Serves Fortune 500 companies and government agencies (including the Department of Defense)
The Breach
- Accessed as early as December 2024
- Company believes hackers are now gone
- No clear evidence of stolen personal data
- Some customer files on two laptops (outside the main network) were accessed
- Affected customers have been notified
Not the First Time
- Other telecom companies have been targeted in the past two years
- Chinese-backed hackers have gone after U.S. companies (including telecom providers) to steal:
- Phone records
- Data about senior U.S. government officials
- Companies affected:
- AT&T
- Verizon
- Lumen
- Cloud and data center providers
- Even companies outside the U.S. (e.g., Canada)
Why This Matters
- Cybersecurity is critical for companies handling sensitive information
- Strong security measures are essential to protect networks and customer data
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questions
What role do international cybersecurity agreements play in preventing and mitigating such breaches?
Is it possible the hackers were just really bad at hide and seek and got caught by the IT department?
How can companies better prepare for and respond to such sophisticated cyber threats in the future?
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