APT IRAN Claims Responsibility for AT&T Outage Amid Cable Theft Denial

On September 9, 2026, AT&T experienced a significant outage affecting over 7,000 families in Dallas due to an attempted cable theft, as confirmed by the company. However, an Iranian-linked hacking group, APT IRAN, claimed responsibility for the disruption, asserting it was a cyberattack on telecommunications infrastructure. AT&T stated there was no evidence supporting the hacking claim and attributed the outage to physical theft of cables. The outage peaked with over 5,900 reports on Downdetector. APT IRAN has threatened further attacks on U.S. critical infrastructure, including water and energy systems, in the days leading up to the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Cybersecurity experts warn that operational technology systems are highly vulnerable to such threats. AT&T is monitoring its network and offering bill credits to affected customers.

Key Points: • AT&T outage affected over 7,000 customers due to cable theft, not a cyberattack. • APT IRAN claims responsibility, threatening further attacks on U.S. infrastructure. • Cybersecurity experts highlight vulnerabilities in operational technology systems.