14 DAY TRIAL // The phone systems of the Bell County in Texas had been hacked between November 30 and December 2, 2013. A few days were enough for the attackers to make international phone calls worth over $27,000 (€19,700).
According to Temple Daily Telegram (subscription required), the attackers abused a weak 4-digit password in one of the county’s departments. The hackers routed calls to Grenada, an Island country located in the Caribbean Sea.
In October, the county paid $855 (€624) for phone services. However, for one day while the hackers had access to systems, the bill was more than $27,220 (€19,850).
County representatives say they’ve implemented measures to prevent future incidents. However, on December 13, another breach was detected. On this occasion, Bell County was notified of the intrusion by AT&T.