Hackers Accessed 850,000 Orange Belgium Customer Accounts

Orange SA’s Belgian business said that hackers gained access to data from 850,000 customer accounts, in the third major cyberattack targeting the French telecommunications firm this year.

The company detected that one of its IT systems had been compromised at the end of July, exposing data including customer names, phone numbers, SIM card and tariff details, according to a statement on Wednesday. No email addresses, passwords or bank details were accessed, it added.

This is the third cyberattack Orange has disclosed this year. In July, there were disruptions to some of its services in France after a cyberattack on one of its information systems. Employee data from its Romanian business was targeted in a separate attack earlier this year.

Orange blocked access to the affected IT system as soon as the incident was detected and alerted Belgian authorities, according to the statement. It warned customers to be vigilant for possible phishing attacks, where criminals try to trick individuals into revealing sensitive information by impersonating a legitimate entity. The company didn’t detail how hackers exploited its system.

Telecom companies are attractive targets for hackers as they store valuable financial information on customers as well as critical information and communication from governments and businesses. Salt Typhoon, an attack spearheaded by a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group, caught the industry by surprise as it enabled years-long access to telecom and internet networks in the US. The attack also impacted networks in South Africa and South Korea.

Affected customers in Belgium will be notified soon by email or text message, Orange said.

Photograph: An Orange SA logo; photo credit: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg