Colt Technology Faces Multi-Day Outage After WarLock Ransomware Attack
UK-based Colt Technology Services, a multinational telecommunications company, has suffered a devastating cyberattack that has left its customers without access to critical services for an extended period. The attack, attributed to the WarLock ransomware group, has caused outages in hosting, porting, Colt Online, and Voice API services since August 12.
Colt Technology Services, formally known as Colt Technology Services Group Limited, was founded in 1992 as City Of London Telecommunications. The company's humble beginnings focused on building a telecoms network in London before expanding its operations across Europe, Asia, and North America. Today, Colt is renowned for providing high-performance connectivity and communication solutions to businesses, offering services such as data, voice, cloud, and managed IT services.
The firm specializes in delivering scalable, secure, and reliable network infrastructure to its clients, which include large multinational corporations and smaller enterprises alike. With operations spanning over 40 countries and more than 6,000 employees, Colt's commitment to customer service, innovation, and sustainability is unparalleled.
The Attack
The incident began on August 12, with Colt initially describing the disruption as a "technical issue." However, later confirmation revealed that the company had fallen victim to a cyberattack. The firm shut down systems to mitigate the threat, highlighting its efforts to contain the impact and restore affected systems.
According to popular cybersecurity expert Kevin Beaumont, the threat actors likely breached Colt's sharehelp.colt.net via Microsoft SharePoint flaw CVE-2025-53770 before remaining within the network for over a week. Beaumont speculates that Colt is attempting to downplay the incident, adding a layer of complexity to the already intricate situation.
The Consequences
WarLock ransomware, known for its aggressive tactics and demands, has been linked to various high-profile attacks in recent months. In this case, an affiliate claiming to be associated with WarLock offered 1 million stolen documents for $200,000, including financial, employee, customer, and internal data.
The outages affecting Colt's hosting, porting, Colt Online, and Voice API services have resulted in significant disruptions to its customers. The company has notified authorities but has shared no technical details on the attack, leaving many questions unanswered. Furthermore, there is still no timeline for restoring operations, casting a shadow of uncertainty over the future of Colt Technology Services.
In conclusion, the cyberattack on Colt Technology Services serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing threat landscape and the importance of robust cybersecurity measures in today's digital age. As the situation continues to unfold, one thing is clear: the world of telecommunications will not be immune to the effects of this attack.