Air India Cyber Attack: 4.5 Million Passengers’ Passport, Credit Card Details Exposed

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Data hacks and cyber attacks have become increasingly and alarmingly common. The latest victim of such an attack is Air India. The Air India passenger service system provider SITA faced a cyber attack back in February, leading to the personal data leak of 4.5 million passengers, including travelers from other countries.

 
Air India Cyber Attack: 4.5 Million Passengers' Details Exposed

Air India Data Breach Explained

The Air India hack has leaked personal data including details like contact information, passport details, ticket details, name, date of birth, and even credit card data. The official statement from Air India notes that the data leaked includes travelers registered between August 11, 2011, and February 3, 2021.

 

"While we and our data processor continue to take remedial actions... We would also encourage passengers to change passwords wherever applicable to ensure the safety of their personal data," Air India said in the statement. SITA, the company based out of Geneva, Switzerland, further confirmed that 4.5 million passenger data has been leaked due to the cyber attack.

"Air India meanwhile is in liaison with various regulatory agencies in India and abroad, and has apprised them about the incident in accordance with its obligations," the statement further said. Presently, both Air India and SITA are carrying out a risk assessment and analysis, and updates are expected to follow.

Air India Data Leak: How Severe Is It?

Since the analysis is still underway, the exact extent of the damage caused is still unknown. Both the airlines and the service provider said that forensic analysis is underway to determine the scope of damage caused by the data breach. That said, SITA has confirmed that no unauthorized activity or behavior has been detected inside its infrastructure since the data hack.

To note, the credit card details like CVV/CVC numbers aren't stored with SITA, giving relief to users. The only concern is about passengers from May 25 to April 5 of this year, whose identity might be exposed. Presently, Air India has taken a few steps to secure its passengers' data, including securing the compromised servers.

Air India has also notified and discussed the data breach with credit card issuers, helping users to secure their details. Plus, Air India frequent flyer program members have also been notified, urging them to change their passwords for better safety.

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