Airlines Hit by Cyber Attacks Ahead of Holiday Travel Surge
Multiple airlines including Hawaiian Airlines, WestJet, and Qantas reported cyber attacks on their IT systems in the days leading up to the Fourth of July holiday travel rush. The FBI has attributed the incidents to Scattered Spider, a hacking group known for using social engineering and third-party vendor exploits to breach large organizations.
Hawaiian Airlines and WestJet confirmed attacks within the past week, with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stating on June 26 that the Hawaiian Airlines breach had no impact on flight safety. WestJet launched an internal investigation, while Qantas disclosed a separate attack on June 25, revealing that a third-party customer service platform was compromised before the breach was contained.
The FBI issued a warning on June 28, identifying Scattered Spider as the likely culprit behind the airline sector targeting. Airlines are responding by collaborating with authorities, strengthening cybersecurity measures, and notifying affected customers as investigations continue.
The attacks highlight growing cyber risks in the travel industry, particularly as reliance on third-party vendors increases. While no operational disruptions or safety issues have been reported, the incidents underscore the need for heightened security in an increasingly digital travel ecosystem.
Source: https://skift.com/2025/07/02/airlines-hit-by-cyber-attacks-in-recent-days-heres-what-to-know/
Qantas cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/qantas
WestJet cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/westjet
Hawaiian Airlines cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/hawaiian-airlines
"id": "QANWESHAW1768393070",
"linkid": "qantas, westjet, hawaiian-airlines",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "6/2025",
"severity": "60",
"impact": "2",
"explanation": "Attack limited on finance or reputation"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Aviation',
'location': 'North America',
'name': 'Hawaiian Airlines',
'type': 'Airline'},
{'industry': 'Aviation',
'location': 'North America',
'name': 'WestJet',
'type': 'Airline'},
{'industry': 'Aviation',
'location': 'Australia',
'name': 'Qantas',
'type': 'Airline'}],
'attack_vector': ['Social Engineering', 'Third-Party Vendors'],
'customer_advisories': True,
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2025-06-26',
'description': 'Multiple airlines, including Hawaiian Airlines, WestJet, and '
'Qantas, reported cyber attacks compromising their IT systems '
'ahead of the Fourth of July holiday travel surge. The FBI '
'linked these incidents to the Scattered Spider hacking group, '
'known for targeting large organizations through social '
'engineering and third-party vendors.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': True,
'data_compromised': True,
'operational_impact': True,
'systems_affected': ['IT Systems']},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
'references': [{'date_accessed': '2025-07-02',
'source': 'Skift',
'url': 'https://www.skift.com'},
{'date_accessed': '2025-06-26',
'source': 'Federal Aviation Administration'},
{'date_accessed': '2025-06-28', 'source': 'FBI'}],
'response': {'communication_strategy': True,
'containment_measures': True,
'enhanced_monitoring': True,
'incident_response_plan_activated': True,
'law_enforcement_notified': True,
'remediation_measures': True},
'threat_actor': 'Scattered Spider',
'title': 'Cyber Attacks on Airlines Ahead of Fourth of July Holiday',
'type': ['Cyber Attack', 'Data Breach']}