The impact
While the most sensitive information was not exposed, the stolen data poses a clear risk of sim-swapping. By using sim and puk data, criminals can take control of phone numbers, intercept text messages and potentially bypass two-factor authentication. Moreover, linking names and phone numbers opens the door to highly targeted phishing campaigns.
Orange Belgium stressed that it immediately isolated the affected system and filed a complaint with the authorities. Customers were also informed and warned by email and text message to remain alert for fraud attempts. To reduce the risks, Orange tightened its security processes for SIM-related requests and introduced additional controls, such as identity verification in stores. Still, cybersecurity experts say these measures do not completely eliminate the threat.
What could have been better
Incidents like this underscore the importance of a stronger security strategy for telecom providers. At Cyberplan, we see four key measures:
- Continuous monitoring and behavioral analysis To detect abnormal access patterns.
- Strict patch and configuration management to prevent abuse of weak systems.
- System segmentation so that attackers cannot move laterally across networks.
- Predefined incident response playbooks To respond faster to telecom-specific threats such as sim-swapping.
