Orange SA hacked, user data released on dark web: What one of world's leading telecom companies has to say

Orange SA , one of the world’s leading telecom companies, has been hacked. According to a report, hackers have stolen and published about 4GB of sensitive business user data on the dark web. Orange first became aware of the breach in late July and reported it to national authorities. The data was published in early August, the report said.

Citing sources familiar with the incident, Bloomberg reported that the attack, which used ransomware, was linked to a group known as Warlock. In mid-August, the hackers released approximately 4GB of data on the dark web.

Warlock's ransomware attack on Orange SA
Warlock is a group that leases its ransomware to other criminal gangs. These groups use the malicious software to lock down a victim’s computer systems with encryption, demanding a ransom to restore access.

What Orange has to say about hacking incident
A spokesperson for Orange confirmed to the publication that the stolen data was published but declined to comment on Warlock specifically or on any other companies potentially affected by the breach.

“The threat actor had only limited access to our systems and was able to exfiltrate only outdated or low-sensitivity data,” the spokesperson said.

“The affected companies were informed by Orange in advance of publication, and we have been working in full collaboration with them, as well as with the relevant authorities, since the beginning of this incident,” the spokesperson added.

This is not the first security incident to hit the French telecom operator this year. In July, hackers accessed customer data from the company’s Belgian division in a separate attack, while another incident led to the publication of employee data from its Romanian division on the dark web.