Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific is the latest airline to suffer a major data breach after the personal data of up to 9.4m passengers was accessed by cybercriminals.
According to the airline, passport numbers, email addresses and expired credit card details were among the data obtained in the breach. However, Cathay Pacific's chief executive Rupert Hogg reassured customers saying that there was “no evidence” the stolen user information had been misused.
The news that the airline suffered a major data breach comes just weeks after British Airways revealed that it had also fallen victim to a similar data leak.
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Personal information exposed
Cathay Pacific confirmed that a wide range of personal information was accessed by hackers including passport details, identity card numbers, travel history and email addresses. Luckily though no passwords were compromised in the breach.
Rupert Hogg explained the steps the airline is taking to mitigate the situation in a statement, saying:
“We are very sorry for any concern this data security event may cause our passengers. We acted immediately to contain the event, commence a thorough investigation with the assistance of a leading cybersecurity firm, and to further strengthen our IT security measures.
“We are in the process of contacting affected passengers, using multiple communications channels, and providing them with information on steps they can take to protect themselves. We have no evidence that any personal data has been misused. No-one’s travel or loyalty profile was accessed in full, and no passwords were compromised.”
