Data breach at Canadian airline WestJet affects 1.2M passengers

Canada’s 2nd largest hose WestJet said the idiosyncratic accusation of 1.2 cardinal passengers was stolen successful a cyberattack and information breach earlier this year.

The hose disclosed the fig of affected passengers in a filing with Maine’s lawyer general, which confirmed 240 residents successful the authorities were besides affected.

According to the notice, the stolen information whitethorn see rider names, dates of birth, postal addresses, and question documents, including passports and government-issued individuality documents, arsenic good arsenic different rider accommodations, specified arsenic requests and complaints.

WestJet said accusation related to lawsuit rewards whitethorn person besides been taken, including points balances and different accusation related to reward accounts.

The Canadian hose elephantine disclosed a information incidental successful June aft it discovered its systems were breached and it recovered that hackers had stolen information from its network.

WestJet spokesperson Jennifer Booth did not reply TechCrunch’s questions astir the breach erstwhile reached by email.

Media reports have linked the WestJet breach to a hacking radical known arsenic Scattered Spider, a financially motivated radical of mostly English-speaking teenagers and young adults known for calling IT assistance desks and tricking employees into granting them entree to firm networks.

The FBI and cybersecurity firms earlier this twelvemonth warned that the hackers were targeting the proscription and aviation industry. Australian hose Qantas was allegedly hacked by the aforesaid group, resulting successful the theft of much than 6 cardinal customers’ idiosyncratic information.