Comcast has agreed to pay a $1.5 million fine to resolve a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) investigation into a February 2024 vendor data breach that exposed the personal information of nearly 275,000 customers.
The breach occurred when attackers infiltrated the systems of Financial Business and Consumer Solutions (FBCS), a debt collection agency Comcast had stopped working with two years earlier. Initially, the incident was thought to affect 1.9 million individuals, but the number grew to 3.2 million in June and later to 4.2 million in July. FBCS, which filed for bankruptcy
before disclosing the breach in August 2024, informed Comcast on July 15—five months after the attack—that 273,703 of its customers had been impacted. In March, the company had assured Comcast that none of its customers were affected.
Between February 14 and February 26, attackers stole personal and financial data, including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and Comcast account numbers. The affected customers had used Xfinity-branded internet, television, streaming, VoIP, and home security services. Under the FCC consent decree announced Monday, Comcast must adopt a compliance plan that strengthens vendor oversight, ensures proper disposal of customer data no longer needed, and aligns with the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984.
The company is also required to appoint a compliance officer, conduct vendor risk assessments every two years, submit compliance reports to the FCC every six months for three years, and disclose any significant violations within 30 days of discovery.
Comcast stated to Reuters that it “was not responsible for and has not conceded any wrongdoing in connection with this incident,” emphasizing that its own network was not breached and that FBCS was contractually obligated to meet security standards.
Comcast, headquartered in the United States, is a global mass media, telecommunications, and entertainment company. It ranks as the fourth-largest telecom provider worldwide by revenue, behind AT&T, Verizon, and China Mobile. The company employs more than 182,000 people, serves hundreds of millions of customers globally, and reported $123.7 billion in revenue in 2024.
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