- Unidentified threat actors target Qantas call center
- This allows it to gain access to sensitive customer data
- The attack is most likely the work of Scattered Spider, experts claim
Yet another major airlines has been hit by a major cyberattack after Qantas, the largest flight provider in Australia, confirmed it had been targeted
In a press release published on the company’s website, Qantas said it spotted the intrusion after a threat actor targeted a call center, and accessed a third-party customer servicing platform.
The name of the platform was not disclosed, but Qantas said six million customers have service records there.
Scattered Spider
“We are continuing to investigate the proportion of the data that has been stolen, though we expect it will be significant,” the press release reads.
“An initial review has confirmed the data includes some customers’ names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and frequent flyer numbers.”
However, credit card details, personal financial information, and passport details, were not stolen, since these are not even held in this particular system. Therefore, passwords, PIN numbers, log in details, and frequent flyer accounts, remain uncompromised, the company confirmed.
Qantas also said the system is now contained, and that it notified relevant authorities, as well as affected individuals. The airline’s operations and safety were not endangered at any time.
The company did not say who the threat actors were, or if they tried to deploy any ransomware.
However the incident shares many similarities with other attacks recently made by the group known as Scattered Spider.
This group has not yet claimed responsibility for this attack – but in recent weeks, multiple reports have emerged of airlines being hit by cyberattacks, with Hawaiian Airlines confirmed suffering an attack and both WestJet and GlobalX suffering the same fate recently too.
Via BleepingComputer