Hackers Lurked in Telecom Giant's Network for Months

A major telecom company, Ribbon, recently revealed that hackers, likely backed by a government, had been sneaking around its systems for nearly a year. This news came out in a public report filed with the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Ribbon, which is based in Texas, offers phone, internet, and networking services to big companies, including some in the Fortune 500 list, and even government agencies like the Department of Defense. The hackers managed to get into the company's IT network as early as December 2024. Ribbon says it has told the police and believes the hackers are now gone. It's not clear if the hackers stole any personal information or other sensitive data from Ribbon's customers. However, the company mentioned that some customer files on two laptops outside the main network were accessed. Ribbon has informed the affected customers about this. This isn't the first time a telecom company has been hacked. Over the past two years, several others have also been targeted. In the past, Chinese-backed hackers have gone after U. S. companies, including telecom providers, to steal phone records and data about senior U. S. government officials. Companies like AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen were part of this campaign, along with some cloud and data center providers. Some of these companies were even outside the U. S. , like in Canada. It's important to note that cybersecurity is a big deal, especially for companies that handle a lot of sensitive information. This incident shows how crucial it is for companies to have strong security measures in place to protect their networks and customer data.