The largest Japanese airline Japan Airlines (JAL) fell victim to a massive cyberattack, prompting the airline to halt ticket sales and alter flight schedules. The attack commenced on December 26 at 7:24 a.m. local time, with the attackers managing to breach both the internal and external systems of the carrier.
To contain the attack, Japan Airlines specialists swiftly shut down their network, temporarily halting ticket sales for all flights scheduled for December 26. The airline’s technical team then conducted a thorough security check. Fortunately, the investigation revealed that passengers’ personal data remained uncompromised, and no malicious software had infiltrated Japan Airlines.
The second largest Japanese air carrier, ANA Holdings, also conducted a thorough examination of its systems for any signs of suspicious activity. Company representatives confirmed that there were no indications of cyberattacks, with all services operating normally.
Interestingly, this cyberattack occurred shortly after an egregious technical malfunction at American Airlines. On the eve of Christmas, the American carrier was compelled to ground all flights for an hour due to network equipment issues, impacting thousands of passengers.