Despite settling the payment and the deletion of data, there are concerns that some AT&T customers and individuals who interacted with them may still face risks, as some copies of the data may not have been removed.
A hacker conversing with WIRED opted to receive payment from AT&T instead of the original hacker, Binns, as Binns was reportedly detained in Turkey in May due to a separate data breach involving T-Mobile in 2021. AT&T mentioned in their SEC filing that they believed at least one individual linked to the breach had been apprehended, without disclosing the person’s identity. According to a report by 404 Media on Friday, there are indications that Binns could be the person in question.
Binns was indicted in 2022 on 12 counts related to the T-Mobile hack in 2021, which involved the theft and sale of sensitive data pertaining to over 40 million individuals. Despite moving to Turkey in 2018 with his mother, Binns has faced legal challenges in the US and Turkey. Previous interviews conducted by The Wall Street Journal with Binns shed light on his background. The indictment remained sealed until this year when it was brought to light. US authorities pursued the extradition of Binns from Turkey to face the charges against him.
The hacker who transacted with AT&T disclosed to WIRED that Binns was allegedly detained in Turkey around early May, as there has been no response from Binns to any attempts to reach out. Efforts to contact Binns’ public defender in Seattle yielded no response.
Binns has engaged with US authorities multiple times, making claims of conspiracies involving the CIA and other agencies trying to harm him. In a strange turn of events, Binns filed a lawsuit against the FBI, CIA, and other agencies to obtain records he believed were held about him. He made wild allegations about CIA contractors spying on him, experimenting on him, and even using a “psychotronic weapon” against him.
In light of recent events, it appears that if Binns is indeed connected to the AT&T breach, he may have committed the act while aware of the impending indictment for the T-Mobile hack and the looming threat of arrest.