AT&T Texas Outage Sparks Hacking Claim, Company Blames Cable Theft
An AT&T outage disrupted internet, television and phone services for thousands of customers in Texas on September 7. An Iranian-linked hacking group claimed responsibility, but AT&T said it found no evidence of a cyberattack and attributed the disruption to suspected cable theft.
Thousands of AT&T customers in Texas experienced disruptions to internet, television and phone services on September 7 after a network outage that later became the subject of an Iranian-linked hacking claim.
The group APT IRAN claimed on Telegram that it had targeted telecommunications and other critical infrastructure in Texas. It also claimed responsibility for disrupting an unidentified water utility.
However, AT&T rejected the claim, saying its investigation found no evidence that hackers were responsible for the outage.
AT&T says cable theft caused the disruption
AT&T initially attributed the service interruption to problems involving fibre equipment and cables. In a later update, the company specifically pointed to an attempted cable theft.
“We have no evidence to support that claim. Our assessment indicates that attempted cable theft led to the outage,” AT&T said.
The company added that internet services across Dallas and surrounding areas had returned to normal and that it was continuing to monitor the network and review relevant information.
The statement directly contradicts APT IRAN's claim that the outage was part of a broader attack on critical infrastructure.
Iranian-linked group claims responsibility
According to Threat Beat, a publication associated with Auburn University's McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security, APT IRAN has links to CyberAv3ngers, a group associated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
APT IRAN has previously claimed attacks involving water infrastructure in several US states. The group said earlier incidents in late July had targeted water systems in Minnesota, Michigan, Georgia, New Jersey, South Dakota and Arkansas.
The group described those earlier actions as warnings about its ability to interfere with US critical infrastructure.
Dany is a business journalist with Annuity Outlook Magazine, with over 16 years of experience across print, digital, and wires. He covers business, technology, policy, and corporate developments, with a focus on in-depth reporting and analysis. Over the years, he has worked across multiple editorial platforms. Skilled in content creation, editing, proofreading, and overseeing print layouts, his career spans multiple editorial platforms.
