Due to coronavirus pandemic, everything is stopped, even flights are not flying. Easyjet has also announced that it has parked Easyjet planes at Luton Airport and is not flying due to coronavirus. However, it is said that Chinese hackers are accessing email and travel details of 9 Million users.
EasyJet admits data of nine million customers is hacked
Sources familiar with investigation disclosed that the data of nine million EasyJet customers is hacked. It is said that the hacking tools and techniques which were used in the January attack were suspected the Chinese hackers. These hackers have targeted a few airlines in recent times.
The news of the data leak can be a result for the budget airline, which has already stopped its flights due to coronavirus.
A spokeswoman of EasyJet declined to comment on who made the attack and could not decide for whom these hackers were working.
The Chinese embassy in London also did not respond. And Beijing has denied conducting cyber operations and says it is usually the victim of such attacks.
A chief executive of Easyjet, Johan Lundgren, said there was concern about the personal data which was used for online scams as many people worked from home because of coronavirus.
Johan also said,
“As a result, and on the recommendation of the ICO (watchdog), we are contacting those customers whose travel information was accessed and we are advising them to be extra vigilant, particularly if they receive unsolicited communications.”
According to the sources, it is the same group of hackers who earlier targeted travel records and other data to track the movement of a few individuals and argued to steal credit card details for the commercial gain.
Saher Naumaan, a threat intelligence analyst, said,
“Interest in who is travelling on which routes can be valuable for counter-intelligence or another tracking of persons of interest.”
The credit card details of more than 2,000 customers have been agreed, but it didn’t look like any personal information is misused. The company has hired a forensic expert to investigate the problem and also notified Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
A Britain’s Information Commissioners Office said, they were also investigating the attack and asked anyone who is affected by the data leak to be particularly careful about attacks and scam messages.
They said,
“People have the right to expect that organisations will handle their personal information securely and responsibly. When that doesn’t happen, we will investigate and take robust action where necessary.”
British Airways, which is owned by airlines group AIG, is appealing against 183.4 million pound fine. The fine was received from the ICO after the hackers stole the credit card details of customers in 2018.