Telecom operator Orange Belgium was the victim of a cyberattack at the end of July, in which hackers gained access to 850,000 customer accounts. The company emphasizes that critical data such as passwords and financial data remained secure.
Orange Belgium took immediate action at the end of July, when the attack took place, by alerting the competent authorities. This was followed by an official complaint to the judicial authorities. Affected customers are being informed by email and/or text message.
“We advise them to remain vigilant for any suspicious communications,” the company said in a press release.
Scope and nature of the incident
At the end of July, Orange Belgium discovered a cyberattack on one of its IT systems. This gave unauthorized persons access to certain data from 850,000 customer accounts. The company states that no “critical” data has been leaked.
The hackers were able to access personal data such as surnames, first names, telephone numbers, SIM card numbers, PUK codes, and tariff plans. Passwords, email addresses, and bank or financial details remained out of reach of the attackers.
Broader context
This attack on Orange Belgium follows an earlier cybersecurity incident at Orange earlier this year, which also affected other countries. Telecom organizations remain an attractive target for cybercriminals because of the large amount of customer data they manage.
The impact is limited to personal details and technical account information, which somewhat mitigates the damage compared to scenarios where financial or authentication data is stolen.