American Airlines pilot union, subject to a ransomware attack

The American Airlines pilot union regroups after a ransomware attack has compromised its operations. This attack is the latest incident that compromised the aviation industry for the past months.

This union represents more than 15,000 airline pilots in the United States. Moreover, it recently published a public announcement on its website about the cyberattack. Based on the report, the affected entity identified the breach on October 30.

 

The American Airlines pilot union might face extortion.

 

According to investigations, the ransomware attack has encrypted the systems of the American Airlines pilot union.

Consequently, the union’s IT team, in collaboration with third-party researchers, has started an organised and time-consuming effort to restore the compromised systems. The union also explained that as they work to recover from backups, they will also continue to assess potential impacts to data, including member data. In addition, they also asked the concerned parties to be patient since these investigations often take time to complete.

Though the recovery process is currently underway and making headway, the union still has some way to go before they can fully reinstate their services. The union clarified that once the initial restoration is in place, they will continue to restore additional services over the coming days, prioritising pilot-facing products and tools while maintaining their vigilance on their security.

Furthermore, this cyber incident, which started on October 30, immediately spread on the union’s social media channels. While certain core services have been returned online throughout the week, the organisation remains committed to providing regular updates on their recovery progress.

The aviation sector has attracted various cyberattacks over the past six months. Earlier this month, one of Mexico’s busiest airports sustained a cyberattack. At the same time, the following day, Boeing, a prominent aircraft manufacturer, confirmed a cyberattack affecting its parts and distribution business.

Ransomware groups quickly claimed responsibility for both incidents, implying that this sector is susceptible to ransomware attacks. The aviation industry should consider employing layered security solutions in all parts of its systems to avoid such campaigns since numerous hackers are trying to profit from the industry.