A Verizon-linked company got fined over half a million dollars and now promises to enhance its security

Soon, it'll be precisely a year since Verizon's acquisition of Frontier. Before the candles are lit and the anniversary party starts, though, Frontier will have to pay over half a million dollars because it was fined.

$625,000, to be precise

The $625,000 fine is a settlement with the Office of the Attorney General of Connecticut. That's the logical end to the saga that started back in 2024, when a major Frontier breach occurred.

Now, the Verizon-owned Frontier will have not only to pay up but also take additional security measures. The Attorney General's office wants Frontier to "strengthen its data security practices", as reports state.

Frontier will have to maintain "a comprehensive information security program" and comply with Connecticut's consumer protection and data privacy laws. This would include hacking testing, security component enhancement, password management and more.

What happened in 2024?

Connecticut Attorney General Tong said Frontier failed in its duty to protect the sensitive data of tens of thousands of state residents.

Back in 2024, the data breach compromised the Social Security numbers (and other sensitive data) of almost 60,000 Connecticut residents.

Tong's Office announced that their investigation found "multiple shortcomings" that made it possible for the hacking to occur in the first place. What was particularly concerning were the identity and access management, the encryption and data loss prevention processes which were found to be particularly weak.

That's how the hacker, using compromised credentials of Frontier employees, was able to steal the telco's unencrypted personal data of its customers. Then, the hacker made a predictable move and offered the stolen data for sale on the dark web.

Verizon's acquisition of Frontier

At the beginning of 2026, Verizon officially completed its acquisition of Frontier, bringing millions of Frontier customers and its fiber-optic internet business under the Big Red's ownership. This was a power move and it was made to strengthen Verizon's position in the home broadband market. The goal was to compete more directly with AT&T, which is also big in fiber internet.

It's worth highlighting again that the Frontier breach took place before Verizon bought and owned Frontier. Diana Alvear, a Verizon spokeswoman, notes that Verizon takes data security "very seriously".

By the way, Frontier reached another settlement in federal court in Texas earlier—this one was for over five and a half million dollars.

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