AT&T has notified around 9 million of its customers about a marketing vendor the company used that was hacked in January, exposing the private information of these wireless accounts.

The wireless company is not revealing much; however, here's what we know and what tips we can give you to protect yourself.

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The company claims credit card information, social security numbers and account passwords were not exposed during the data breach. However, the Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI) of roughly 9 million AT&T users was exposed, which includes information like first names, wireless account numbers, wireless phone numbers and email addresses.

An AT&T spokesperson said, "A small percentage of impacted customers also had exposure of rate plan name, past due amount, monthly payment amount, various monthly charges and/or minutes used. The information was several years old."

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AT&T has notified law enforcement about the data breach; however, the report they gave did not include any specific information about any user's account. They only stated to law enforcement that a breach had occurred, as required by the Federal Trade Commission.

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AT&T is first urging people to make a CPNI Restriction Request, which would turn off CPNI data sharing on their accounts and reduce the risk of having their information exposed in the future should AT&T use it again for third-party vendor marketing purposes. 

Aside from taking this step, here are some more tips to further protect you:

The best way to protect yourself from having your data breached is to have antivirus protection installed on all your devices. This can also alert you of any phishing email or ransomware scams. 

See my expert review of the best antivirus protection for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices by searching "BestAntivirus" at CyberGuy.com by clicking the magnifying glass icon at the top of my website.

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Identity theft companies can monitor personal information like your Social Security number, phone number, and email address, and alert you if it is being sold on the dark web or being used to open an account. They can also assist you in freezing your bank and credit card accounts to prevent further unauthorized use by criminals. 

See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft by searching "identity theft" at CyberGuy.com by clicking the magnifying glass icon at the top of my website.

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Using the same password across multiple platforms will always make you more vulnerable because if one account gets hacked, they all get hacked. A 2-factor authentication is just an extra shield that will prevent a hacker from getting into your accounts. Make sure to use a password manager to keep track of all your passwords.

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Sometimes, it's best to create various email aliases so that you don't have to worry about all your info getting taken in a data breach. An email alias address is a great way for you to stop receiving constant spam mail by simply deleting the email alias address.

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To find out more about upgrading the security of your email, head over to CyberGuy.com and search "Mail" by clicking the magnifying glass at the top of my website. 

What extra steps are you taking to protect yourself in a data breach? Let us know your thoughts.

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Jamarius Burton made a go-ahead jumper with 10 seconds left and Pitt edged Mississippi State 60-59 in a back-and-forth First Four game Tuesday night that featured 21 lead changes — most in the NCAA Tournament in five years.

Mississippi State had a great chance to win at the end, but Shakeel Moore missed a wide-open 3-pointer from the corner with two seconds remaining off an inbounds play. D.J. Jeffries' tip-in attempt was off target just before the buzzer.

Nelly Cummings led Pitt with 15 points. Greg Elliott scored 13 and Blake Hinson added 12 as the Panthers (23-11) won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 2014.

They slotted into the Midwest Region bracket as the 11th seed and advanced to face No. 6 seed Iowa State on Friday in Greensboro, North Carolina.

"We showed toughness, resiliency," Pitt coach Jeff Capel said. "We were who we’ve been all year, and it wasn’t pretty — but it was beautiful."

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A layup by Tolu Smith gave Mississippi State a 59-58 advantage with 32 seconds left, but Pitt — after a three-minute scoring drought — grabbed the lead back on Burton's short jumper.

Guillermo Diaz Graham blocked Smith’s driving layup attempt out of bounds with 2.7 seconds left, setting up the final sequence.

"I did a block — I don’t even know how — with my left hand," the exhausted 6-foot-11 freshman said. "I usually don’t use my left hand. And I blocked it, and I knew it was a big play, so I just let the energy go out."

Dashawn Davis had 15 points for the Bulldogs (21-13), and Moore scored 13.

Burton, who spent nearly seven minutes on the bench after picking up his fourth foul, said he knew his last shot was going in.

"When I had the ball in my hands the last 30 seconds or so, I just told myself I was built for it," said Burton, who finished with six points. "And I just got to a spot and let it go, and I had complete confidence in myself. That was pretty much everything that went down."

FROM DEEP

The 3-pointers were being launched right away as the teams combined for 13 in the first half.

Mississippi State, not a good outside shooting team, hit four in the first five minutes but cooled off after that. The Panthers went 8 for 13 from beyond the arc in the opening period.

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The teams hit just one each from long range in the second half.

"Every team is going to make adjustments at halftime, so I think we had to make the same type of adjustments and realize what type of game we were in and take what the defense was giving us," Cummings said.

A GOOD LOOK

Mississippi State coach Chris Jans said he couldn't quarrel with the choices his players made in the last few seconds.

"It was a heck of a look," Jans said of Moore's missed 3. "Fortunately we got it off quick enough where we had at least one tap at it. I don’t think the second one was probably in time, but at that point it’s all you can ask for, a chance — the ball is in the air — to win an NCAA Tournament game and still have enough time to get a putback."

BIG PICTURE

Mississippi State: Came out firing from long range, but in the second half returned to the inside game that got the Bulldogs this far. They scored 30 points in the paint.

"When you outright rebound someone 49-28, you usually expect to win," Jans said. "But you've got to give Pitt a lot of credit, they obviously played well enough to win. We struggled in the first half to guard them. We just couldn’t contain the 3, and it was still a one-point game."

Pitt: Were better from outside and finally managed to open a lead against Mississippi State’s solid perimeter defense.

"The attention to detail we had to have to maintain that throughout the game was something that we talked about as soon as we found out who we were playing," Cummings said.