As part of its settlement with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), T-Mobile will be investing millions of dollars in intensifying its cybersecurity operations. Not only that, the Un-carrier was ordered to pay $15.75 million in civil penalties to the US Treasury. This is the same amount that T-Mobile is spending on its internal cybersecurity investment.
According to T-Mobile, it will be making the following improvements to its cybersecurity:
- Corporate Governance – T-Mobile’s Chief Information Security Officer will give regular reports to the board concerning T-Mobile’s cybersecurity posture and business risks posed by cybersecurity. This is a foundational requirement for all well-governed companies. Corporate boards need both visibility and cybersecurity domain experience in order to effectively govern. This commitment ensures that the board’s visibility into cybersecurity is a key priority going forward.
- Modern Zero-Trust Architecture – T-Mobile has agreed to move toward a modern zero trust architecture and segment its networks. This is one of the most important changes organizations can make to improve their security posture.
- Robust Identity and Access Management – T-Mobile has committed to broad adoption of multi-factor authentication methods within its network. This is a critical step in securing critical infrastructure, such as our telecommunications networks. Abuse of authentication methods, for example through the leakage, theft, or deliberate sale of credentials, is the number one way that breaches and ransomware attacks begin. Consistent application of best practice identity and access methods will do more to improve a cybersecurity posture than almost any other single change.
Through this investment, T-Mobile is hoping it will be able to tighten up its security and won’t lead to another hack in the future.
Source: TheVerge