Orange Suffers Fourth Cyberattack as Warlock Leaks 4GB of Data

Orange SA, the French telecom giant, has once again fallen victim to a cyberattack. A hacker group known as Warlock has leaked around 4GB of data on the dark web this month, following a breach that originally took place in July.

While Orange informed authorities last month and admitted that the data has now surfaced online, the company insists that the stolen files were of ‘low sensitivity’ and largely outdated.

Despite this reassurance, the timing raises concern. In the same month as the Warlock breach, Orange Belgium also suffered a major incident that exposed data belonging to roughly 850,000 users. This marks the fourth significant hack against Orange in 2025 alone, highlighting the ongoing vulnerabilities faced by telecom providers.

Orange has not confirmed whether ransomware demands were made, but suggested that attackers only gained limited access to internal systems. However, experts note that telecom operators remain lucrative targets – not only for ransom payments but also for espionage. Customer records, call logs, and network data are valuable to both criminal groups and state-backed hackers.

Recent history underscores these risks. A Chinese-linked collective called Salt Typhoon was recently accused of breaching U.S. telecom systems, reportedly spying on communications tied to government and national security. While Beijing denies any involvement, the incident highlighted how telecom hacks can extend far beyond financial motives.

Meanwhile, American telecoms are also dealing with fallout from earlier breaches. AT&T customers affected by a past cyber incident have just begun receiving settlement checks. Such cases show how slowly the damage from breaches unfolds, and why these attacks are unlikely to stop anytime soon.

The string of Orange incidents reflects a broader reality: telecom networks are prime cyber targets, and each breach – even if labeled ‘low sensitivity’ – adds another layer of risk for consumers and businesses alike.