61 million US Verizon customers could be at risk after hacker posts potentially genuine database online - here's what you need to know

• A team of security experts have uncovered what looks like a Verizon database for sale
• Hosted on the Clear Web forum, it purportedly contains records of 61 million Verizon users
• Details contained within the database suggests that it is as recent as 2025

A new report by cybersecurity researchers at SafetyDetectives has revealed a huge dataset posted online by hackers in a CSV/JSON file containing a total of 3.1GB, reportedly totalling around 61 million ‘Verizon USA’ records. The author has dated this information as ‘2025’ which suggests a potential new data breach.

The information exposed includes sensitive data including names, dates of birth, tax IDs, addresses, and phone numbers. This, like most breaches, puts those affected at a serious risk of identity theft - so if you are concerned you may be at risk, make sure to take a look at the best identity theft protection software.

Verizon is a telecommunications giant, and has almost 150 million subscribers - making it the largest wireless carrier in the United States.

What you need to know

It’s not clear yet where this information comes from, if this is a new breach researchers have uncovered, or even if the data does really belong to Verizon customers, although the researchers confirm that this ‘does seem legit’. TechRadar Pro did reach out to Verizon to confirm, but is yet to receive a reply.

This comes not long after a huge breach of over 16 billion records was discovered in an ‘unimaginable’ incident - most likely originating from infostealer malware. Unencrypted databases are also a very common cause of data leaks and archives often leave companies and customers exposed - although this may not necessarily be the case in the Verizon breach.

Data breaches are becoming increasingly common, with almost a third of enterprises experiencing a breach despite increased cybersecurity investments. You can see whether your information is affected using the popular breach checking website HaveIBeenPwned?

How to stay safe

As well as identity theft protection software, customers can keep themselves secure by being ultra cautious of any unexpected communications, thoroughly checking any emails and texts they receive, and never clicking on any untrusted links.

Make sure to use safe and secure passwords that you rotate regularly - and never reuse a password, especially on sites that hold sensitive data like health, financial, or personal information.

If criminals have access to personally identifiable information, there’s a chance they can apply for loans/credit cards in the victim’s name too - so consider deploying the best credit monitoring services if you’re affected.

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