No one is safe from a hack, neither users nor large companies nor telephone companies. In addition, they can be increasingly serious due to the fact that we have more and more personal data spread over the Internet. Some companies that have sensitive data and that manage access to critical infrastructure are telecommunications operators. From what it seems, the “interest” of cybercriminals in them has grown in 2022. So far this year there have already been two major hacks and security breaches in European operators.
We do not want to sound the alarm, but it is true that concern has grown in Europe after the last two hacks of telecommunications operators were perpetrated. Leaving the population without access to this basic service in the connected society or putting their confidential data up for sale on the black market can cause a problem of unpredictable proportions.
Vodafone Portugal falls
On February 7, Vodafone Portugal suffered the interruption of its service due to a cyber attack. The operator points out that it acted quickly to minimize its effects and restore services. For several days, data-based services, that is, 4G or 5G networks , landline calls, television, SMS or voice mail, were affected.
The day after the incident, Vodafone Portugal confirmed that it had already recovered mobile voice and data services, but only with 3G . They expected full recovery to occur the same day or, at the latest, the following day. It is appreciated that the Portuguese operator has given situation reports every day.
On February 9, they restored customer support services, albeit with some limitations. They also continued to work so that 4G would work normally again. Finally, on February 11 they confirmed the return to normality, although pointing out that there may be specific problems.
The company did not hesitate to thank the commitment of its workers who were able to resolve the situation in record time. Surely all this serves to take note of the gap that cybercriminals took advantage of for the attack. In addition, the information will also reach other subsidiaries, such as the Spanish one, to avoid being involved in something similar .
Security breach on A1 Hrvatska in Croatia
But as if Vodafone Portugal was not enough to alert European operators, in the last few hours we have learned that the Croatian operator A1 Hrvatska has confirmed a security breach that has left 10% of personal data exposed. of your customers. This is equivalent to the data of about 200,000 people .
Although they have not given many details, we do know that there was improper access to the database that contained sensitive information. Among this data we have full names, personal identification numbers, physical addresses and telephone numbers. The operator insists that the bank details have not been leaked.
The case of Telefónica in 2017
Surely among the companies that have suffered cyberattacks we all remember Telefónica Spain in 2017 . The operator fell victim to the Wanna Decryptor ransomware that demanded a $300 ransom in bitcoins. The attack affected the operator’s intranet and customer services were not compromised. This is the email that the employees received and that is already famous Internet history in our country:
URGENT: TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER NOW
The Security team has detected malware entering the Telefónica network that affects your data and files. Please notify all your colleagues of this situation.
Turn off the computer now and do not turn it on again until further notice(*).
We will send you an email that you can read through your mobile when the situation is normalized. In addition, we will inform you at the entrances of the buildings about access to the network.
If you have any questions, contact the Help Desk (29000)
(*) Disconnect the mobile from the WiFi network but you do not need to turn it off
Security Directorate