Momentum is an enterprise networking and cloud communications company. They design, build, and support networks and security around the globe. And Momentum has suffered a data breach. This cybersecurity event may involve upwards of 7.5 million people, which would not normally merit its own blog post. But this data breach affects other companies, including Shentel. Since many of my readers and clients are Shentel customers, I will parse the details with you and give you some assurance.
Breach Details
I’ll start with: Don’t blame Shentel. Shentel did not suffer the data breach, but one of their vendors (Momentum) did, and that exposed Shentel customer data. Along with customer data for many other companies.
But even as I dig further, I find that Momentum may be trying to pass the blame. There’s at least one report that suggests one of Momentum’s vendors may have been at fault. At the end of the day, we just need to understand that a bad actor stole your customer data from one of these companies, through a ransomware attack. Those in charge are responding and repairing, now that the matter is over.
As data breaches go, this could’ve been a lot worse. The good news is: The bad guys did not get your passwords or financial info. That means you don’t have to worry about your bank account details or your credit cards. You don’t have to change any passwords (unless you really want to). The bad news is that your name, address, phone number and specifics about your internet service were stolen.
What to Watch Out For
When criminals steal specific customer info, like what’s mentioned in the Shentel notice below, they often use it to make their scams sound more believable.
Imagine if a scammer called you, claiming to be with Shentel, and threatening to shut off your internet unless you paid them a late fee. You would probably laugh and hang up. Now imagine the same call, but this time, the scammer addresses you by your full name, confirms your home address, and verifies with you the make and model of the modem you are renting from Shentel. With all that out of the way, you are more likely to think you are talking with someone in authority. This is how scammers prime their victims to be more cooperative.
Please note: this has happened not too long ago with a Dell data breach. Scammers learned purchase and Service Tag details, and were very convincing in calling Dell’s customers with their schemes.
So please be mistrustful about any unexpected communications you get that seem to be from Shentel. Emails, phone calls, texts and (rarely) snail mail are all vectors for future scams. If you get anything that seems a little bit off, don’t respond too quickly. Contact Shentel at 1-800-SHENTEL or go visit them in-person in lovely downtown West-Metropolitan Edinburg, Virginia. They will verify any legit communication from them.
