Easyjet has to admit that hackers had access to around nine million customer accounts. In some cases, credit card details were also stolen. Anyone else could be the victim of phishing attacks.
As if airlines weren't hard enough in the Corona crisis, Easyjet has now been attacked by hackers. The attackers had access to the email addresses and travel details of approximately nine million passengers, the British airline said. The gangsters also stole credit card data from 2208 customers. Easyjet said that they had already been contacted and offered help.
All other passengers whose accounts the hackers could access should also be informed in the coming days by May 26 at the latest. They would get advice to protect themselves and to minimize the risk of falling victim to a phishing attack. The low-cost airline writes that anyone who receives no news is not affected. All Easyjet customers should be suspicious of unexpected mail. It is particularly important to be careful with emails that are said to come from Easyjet or Easyjet Holidays.
"Hackers are getting more sophisticated"
Take IT security very seriously and have taken robust security measures to protect the personal information of passengers, says Easyjet CEO John Lundgren. Hacker attacks, however, are becoming increasingly sophisticated. From the moment the attack was recognized, it was clear that, given the corona crisis, there was an increased risk that the data would be used for online fraud, says the Easyjet boss. Therefore, you should inform those affected accordingly.
Every company had to constantly adapt its measures to be able to cope with the threat. Lundgren said they would continue to invest in the security of customers, systems and data. "We would like to apologize to the customers affected by the incident."
The hacker attack could result in a large fine for the airline. Competitor British Airways is still defending itself against a fine of the equivalent of a good 200 million euros after the theft of hundreds of thousands of credit card data in 2018, which the competent authority ICO had imposed. At the recommendation of the ICO, Easyjet asked customers to be particularly vigilant, especially with regard to emails.
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