Cybercriminal group Scattered Spider targets US and Canadian airlines in flurry of cyberattacks

Economic Times

17 hours ago

The travel industry faces a new threat as the cybercriminal group Scattered Spider breached the networks of several US and Canadian airlines in June 2025. While flight safety remains unaffected, the FBI is investigating the incidents at Hawaiian Airlines and WestJet. Scattered Spider, known for extortion, targets companies and their contractors, potentially impacting the entire airline ecosystem.
A notorious cybercriminal group moved its focus to the aviation industry and successfully managed to breach the computer networks of multiple airlines in the United States and Canada in June 2025.
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A fresh headache has emerged for the travel industry after a notorious cybercriminal group moved its focus to the aviation industry and successfully managed to breach the computer networks of multiple airlines in the United States and Canada in June 2025, according to the FBI and private experts. As of now, the hacking has not affected the safety of the airlines, but the top cyber executives at major airlines across the United States are on alert because of the hacking suspects.The FBI has named Scattered Spider as the perpetrator of the airline hacks in a statement issued Friday night, June 27, 2025. It is a network of young cybercriminals who are known for their aggressive efforts to extort or embarrass their victims.The flurry of cyberattack incidents being reported is a major cause of concern, as the travel industry, which has turned out to be the third major US business sector in the last two months (May and June) after insurance and retail, is witnessing a busy summer travel season.According to the FBI statement, the hackers target big companies and their IT contractors, 'which means anyone in the airline ecosystem, including trusted vendors and contractors, could be at risk.' 'Once inside (a victim's network), Scattered Spider actors steal sensitive data for extortion and often deploy ransomware,' the FBI said. 'It is actively working with aviation and industry partners to address this activity and assist victims,' America's law enforcement agency further stated.Hawaiian Airlines and Canada's WestJet confirmed in June 2025 that they were still assessing the fallout from recent cyberattacks. The two airlines, however, did not name the perpetrators. There are chances that more victims in the aviation industry could step forward, sources briefed on the investigation said, as reported by CNN.Hawaiian Airlines said on Thursday, June 26, 2025, that some of its IT systems were disrupted by a hack, adding its flights were operating as scheduled. In a statement, Hawaiian Airlines said 'some of our IT systems' had been affected by a 'cybersecurity event.'According to news agency Reuters, the nature of the event was not disclosed, but that kind of language is typically used in cases of ransomware incidents, where digital extortionists paralyze a victim's computer network until a cryptocurrency ransom is paid. The airline, owned by Alaska Air Group, said it had 'taken steps to safeguard our operations, and our flights are operating safely and as scheduled.'Meanwhile, for Canada's WestJet, issues started two weeks ago, when the airline said it was responding to a 'cybersecurity incident' that was affecting access 'to some services and software systems,' including its app for customers. Both WestJet and Hawaiian Airlines said their operations were unaffected by the hacks.The Scattered Spider group grabbed eyeballs in September 2023 when they were linked to a pair of multimillion-dollar hacks on Las Vegas casinos and hotels MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, according to CNN. The hackers tend to pick one sector to target for weeks on end.