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Data from 800,000 user accounts stolen in Orange.fr hack

Data from 800,000 user accounts stolen in Orange.fr hack
Jonathan Riggall

Jonathan Riggall

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Mobile and internet provider Orange’s website has been hacked in France. The Orange.fr site was attacked in January, resulting in personal data from 800,000 user accounts being stolen.

Orange has informed its customers in France via letter published on its website. It explains how Orange was the target of an attack on January 16th 2014. The data lost is mainly user names, phone numbers (mobile and land-line), and email and home addresses. Orange says that passwords and bank details have not been compromised.

The operator has not explained how the hackers were able to get access to the data through Orange.fr. It did, however, warn Orange customers to be wary of phishing attacks in the future. Phishing is when someone tries to get you to disclose sensitive data like passwords by posing as a reputable organization, such as your mobile provider, or a social network. Today, phishing usually takes the form of a bogus email that appears to be from an ‘official’ source.

Orange France’s Technical Director Laurent Benetar stated that the security of customer data was a priority for the company, and it was constantly alert to threats. However, most companies would agree with that sentiment, while we see an almost constant stream of hacking and data loss stories. As people become more aware that there is no such thing as a 100% secure system, they may be more wary of letting so many companies look after their private data.

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[Source: PCINpact]

Jonathan Riggall

Jonathan Riggall

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