Chinese Hackers Attacked EasyJet

The recent high-profile cyber attack that struck British budget EasyJet may have been carried out by Chinese hackers, new research and multiple sources suggest.

EasyJet has disclosed that a "highly sophisticated cyber-attack" has affected approximately nine million customers admitting that email addresses and travel details had been stolen and that 2,208 customers had also had their credit and debit card details "accessed".

The cyber-attack, which saw the email addresses and travel details as well as the credit card details of more than 2,000 customers, was reportedly conducted by the same Chinese hackers responsible for other attacks on a number of airlines .

“We would like to apologise to those customers who have been affected by this incident,” said EasyJet’s CEO, Johan Lundgren.“As a result, and on the recommendation of the ICO, 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,” he told reporters. There is little information available about the identity of the alleged Chinese hackers behind the attack and Chinese official sources ahave declined to answer questions on the subject.  

Anonymous sources who spoke to Reuters, said the hacking tools and techniques used in the cyber-attack incident pointed to a group of Chinese hackers as the culprits and this unnamed group reportedly has an alleged record carrying out malicious cyber-attacks on airline companies. Other sources are reported to have said that the attack appeared to be part of a series by suspected Chinese hackers aimed at the bulk theft of travel records and other data. It is claimed that the hackers have in the past been reponsible for targeting the travel data in order to track the movement of specific individuals, suggestiing espionage as the motive, rather than ransom or fraid.

The hacking tools and techniques used appear similar those used in previous security breach incidents involving other airlines, allowed the Chinese hackers to steal data belonging to some 9 million EasyJet customers. In response to the cyber-attack incident, EasyJet has begun an investigation with the suggestion that the Chinese hackers had been targeting intellectual property, as opposed to data that would assist in identity theft.

The airlines's investigation’s preliminary findings support the claim that the hackers did indeed have a motive for the attack that was more than mere financial gain.

The airline has said that it will have contacted all affected customers by May 26, and that it is advising all users to be wary of phishing attacks in the wake of this security breach.

ICO Investigation

Aside from EasyJet’s internal investigation into the incident, another investigation is being carried out simultaneously, this time by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to determine whether the airline itself had not properly protected the personal data of its customers. 

The ICO investigation will likely result in EasyJet facing a heavy fine for the data breach having occurred in the first place, similar fines previusly exacted from both British Airways and Cathay Pacific.

British Airways is in the process of appealing against a £183m penalty that it received from the ICO in 2019 after cyber criminals stole the credit card details of hundreds of thousands of its customers the year before.

Data Stolen by Chinese Hackers

Because of the lack of information the attack itself and the precise motives of the Chinese hackers behind it; it is unknown how the personal information stolen might ultimately be used. According to the UK cyber security firm CybSafe, customers whose personal data has been stolen are most likely to experience targeted phishing attacks or other attempts of fraud. 

Whilst that attack took place in January that airline did not inform the affected customers until 4 minths later, raising widespread criticism of EasyJet's handling of the attack and one consquence is the the formation of a potenial £18 billion legal claim againts the airline.  

Information Commisioner's Office:         CP Magazine:     Reuters:       Security Boulevard:        BBC:  

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