Ethical hacker Inti De Ceukelaire has filed a complaint with Belgium’s Data Protection Authority following a cyberattack at Orange Belgium that exposed the data of 850,000 customers.
De Ceukelaire said he took this step because “Orange has shown it cannot be trusted,” according to a statement on his website.
His goal is to achieve “complete transparency” about what truly happened during the attack and how customers’ personal data was “(mis)used.”
Orange Belgium disclosed on Wednesday that it had fallen victim to a cyberattack at the end of July. The breach gave a hacker access to approximately 850,000 customer accounts, including names, phone numbers, SIM card details, PUK codes, and tariff plans.
De Ceukelaire also pointed out inconsistencies in Orange Belgium’s communication. Initially, the telecom provider claimed—via a communication archived on web.archive—that there was “no evidence” suggesting the stolen data had been distributed. However, this statement was later removed.
A revised update has since been published, now stating: “To date, we have found no indications that this data has been distributed.”
Orange Belgium spokesperson Sven Adams explained that the original sentence had been temporarily removed to provide clarification, emphasising that the investigation is still ongoing.
Orange Belgium declined to comment on De Ceukelaire’s complaint.
