Critics say the phone company took too long to close a hole that left some long-distance phone bills and subscriber credit card numbers accessable to anyone.

Telecom giant Qwest Communications acknowledged Thursday that a glitch in its Web-based paperless billing system left some long-distance customer records exposed for over a week.

Qwest offers long-distance customers a price break if they forgo printed statements and pay their bills with a credit card though the company's Web site. Subscribers who avail themselves of the service are offered a choice of logging in with a phone number and calling card PIN, or a user-specified name and password.
Soruce: Security Focus