Qantas has found that its cyber attackers have details of 5.7 million QF customers ranging from frequent flyer information to meal preferences.
The airline doesn’t directly address reports that it has been contacted by the hackers in its latest update but says it has begun contacting individual customers on what information has been stolen. QF says there is no evidence that any personal data stolen has been released but experts have reconfirmed no credit card details, personal financial information or passport details were stored in this system and therefore have not been accessed. There continues to be no impact to frequent flyer accounts. But QF has found there were 5.7 million unique customers’ data held in the system and four million customer records are limited to name, e-mail address and frequent flyer details. Of the remaining 1.7 million customers, records include addresses, birth dates, phone numbers, and gender. About 10,000 meal preferences are now known by the hackers.
. . . Advice From QF
“Since the incident, we have put in place a number of additional cyber security measures to further protect our customers data,’’ says group chief executive Vanessa Hudson. QF warns to beware of scammers now claiming to be from the airline. Customers can continue to access the dedicated support line on +61 2 8028 0534.
. . . NZ’s Cyber Defence
The cyber attack came after an FBI warning that hackers could target airlines. Air New Zealand chief digital officer Nikhil Ravishankar says the airline has not been impacted by the recent cyber incidents, but it remains vigilant. “We continuously monitor our systems, as do our third parties, and take proactive steps to strengthen our cyber security in response to evolving threats across the industry.”
