Australian air carrier Qantas has now revealed that the July cyberattack that targeted aviation companies around the world has leaked the personal data of its customers.
The airline issued a statement on October 12 with the announcement, noting it was employing the assistance of specialist cyber security experts to see what kinds of data was released online. It also noted that it “continues to work closely with Australian Government agencies, including the Australian Cyber Security Centre and the Australian Federal Police.”
An ongoing injunction has also been placed with the New South Wales Supreme Court to prevent the stolen data being accessed or used.
In July, 5.7 million Qantas customer records were stolen, with the majority of the stolen data limited to name, email address and Frequent Flyer details. A smaller portion of customer data included home or business addresses, dates of birth, phone number, gender and even their inflight meal preferences.
According to the airline, no financial information, credit card details, passport details or login credentials were compromised.
The cyberattack occurred against Qantas just a few days after the Federal Bureau of Investigations in the United States issued a warning to aviation companies about cybercriminal group Scattered Spider, which went after WestJet and Hawaiian Airlines just prior.
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