Latest news with #ScatteredSpider
The Independent
3 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
What caused the Alaska Airlines IT outage and what are my rights if my flight was cancelled?
For the third time in 15 months, Alaska Airlines grounded planes due to a major IT crash. The carrier requested a system-wide ground stop for its aircraft and that of its subsidiary, Horizon Air, on Sunday evening, with services resuming about three hours later. The airline has remained tight-lipped about the causes of the system paralysis, but separately on Sunday, Microsoft flagged "active attacks" on server software used by businesses, Reuters reported. It added that Google and Palo Alto Networks have been warning that the " Scattered Spider" teen hacking group has an interest in the aviation sector. In June, Hawaiian Airlines and Canada's WestJet Airlines were hit by cyber attacks, and Australia's Qantas experienced a data breach earlier this month. However, the cause of Alaska's outage could be internal. Alaska suffered a malfunction in its weight and balance calculation system in April 2024 that grounded the fleet. Then in September 2024, the carrier grounded flights in Seattle briefly due to "significant disruptions" from an unspecified technology problem that was resolved within hours. Alaska Airlines said on X at 3am EST: "Alaska Airlines has resolved its earlier IT outage and has resumed operations. "We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, and encourage guests to check your flight status before heading to the airport." In response, passengers complained about delays and a lack of customer service. X user Jack Gillin wrote: "Why haven't you answered my customer care calls? It's been more than four hours since I made my inquiry." Another complained: "Been on the phone on hold with your customer services for almost three hours and no one has picked up." Another revealed that after waiting for a flight for five hours, it was cancelled, with the airline unable to help with booking local accommodation. Passengers who experienced a delay are entitled to a rebooking on the same airline or a partner carrier at no additional cost. If the delay is longer than three hours, they are entitled to a meal or meal voucher and complimentary hotel stays for overnight delays. This is because IT outages have been deemed "controllable" by the US Department of Transportation. Airlines are not obliged to compensate passengers due to events outside their control, such as storms or bird strikes.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Alaska Airlines resumes operations after IT outage
By Gursimran Mehar and Shivani Tanna (Reuters) -U.S. carrier Alaska Airlines resumed operations late on Sunday after briefly grounding all of its flights for about three hours due to an IT outage, marking the second time it has halted its fleet in just over a year. The company requested a system-wide ground stop for Alaska and Horizon Air flights at around 8 p.m. Pacific on Sunday (0300 GMT on Monday) after it said that an outage impacted its systems, and lifted the ground stop by 11 p.m. Pacific, the carrier said. "As we reposition our aircraft and crews, there will most likely be residual impacts to our flights. It will take some time to get our overall operations back to normal," the Seattle-based company said. Alaska did not immediately specify the nature of the IT outage. In April 2024, Alaska grounded its entire fleet due to an issue with the system that calculates the weight and balance of its planes. Alaska Air Group maintains an operational fleet of 238 Boeing 737 aircraft, and 87 Embraer 175 aircraft, according to its website. In June, Alaska Air Group-owned Hawaiian Airlines said some of its IT systems were disrupted by a hack. Alaska Air Group said it was still determining the financial impact of that event. The news of Alaska's IT issues comes at a time when tech companies Google and Palo Alto Networks have warned of the "Scattered Spider" hacking group's interest in the aviation sector. Canada's WestJet Airlines was struck by an unspecified cyber incident in June, while Australia's Qantas experienced a data breach in July where a cyber hacker accessed the personal information of millions of customers. But those incidents did not affect flying operations. Separately, Microsoft said on Sunday that there were "active attacks" on its server software used by government agencies and businesses. Alaska did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment on whether the outage was related to the Microsoft announcement.
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Alaska Airlines resumes operations after IT outage
July 20 (Reuters) - U.S. carrier Alaska Airlines (ALK.N), opens new tab resumed operations late on Sunday after briefly grounding all of its flights for about three hours due to an IT outage, marking the second time it has halted its fleet in just over a year. The company requested a system-wide ground stop for Alaska and Horizon Air flights at around 8 p.m. Pacific on Sunday (0300 GMT on Monday) after it said that an outage impacted its systems, and lifted the ground stop by 11 p.m. Pacific, the carrier said. "As we reposition our aircraft and crews, there will most likely be residual impacts to our flights. It will take some time to get our overall operations back to normal," the Seattle-based company said. Alaska did not immediately specify the nature of the IT outage. In April 2024, Alaska grounded its entire fleet due to an issue with the system that calculates the weight and balance of its planes. Alaska Air Group maintains an operational fleet of 238 Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab 737 aircraft, and 87 Embraer ( opens new tab 175 aircraft, according to its website. In June, Alaska Air Group-owned Hawaiian Airlines said some of its IT systems were disrupted by a hack. Alaska Air Group said it was still determining the financial impact of that event. The news of Alaska's IT issues comes at a time when tech companies Google and Palo Alto Networks have warned of the "Scattered Spider" hacking group's interest in the aviation sector. Canada's WestJet Airlines was struck by an unspecified cyber incident in June, while Australia's Qantas ( opens new tab experienced a data breach in July where a cyber hacker accessed the personal information of millions of customers. But those incidents did not affect flying operations. Separately, Microsoft said on Sunday that there were "active attacks" on its server software used by government agencies and businesses. Alaska did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment on whether the outage was related to the Microsoft announcement.
CNA
9 hours ago
- Business
- CNA
Alaska Airlines resumes operations after IT outage
U.S. carrier Alaska Airlines resumed operations late on Sunday after briefly grounding all of its flights for about three hours due to an IT outage, marking the second time it has halted its fleet in just over a year. The company requested a system-wide ground stop for Alaska and Horizon Air flights at around 8 p.m. Pacific on Sunday (0300 GMT on Monday) after it said that an outage impacted its systems, and lifted the ground stop by 11 p.m. Pacific, the carrier said. "As we reposition our aircraft and crews, there will most likely be residual impacts to our flights. It will take some time to get our overall operations back to normal," the Seattle-based company said. Alaska did not immediately specify the nature of the IT outage. In April 2024, Alaska grounded its entire fleet due to an issue with the system that calculates the weight and balance of its planes. Alaska Air Group maintains an operational fleet of 238 Boeing 737 aircraft, and 87 Embraer 175 aircraft, according to its website. In June, Alaska Air Group-owned Hawaiian Airlines said some of its IT systems were disrupted by a hack. Alaska Air Group said it was still determining the financial impact of that event. The news of Alaska's IT issues comes at a time when tech companies Google and Palo Alto Networks have warned of the "Scattered Spider" hacking group's interest in the aviation sector. Canada's WestJet Airlines was struck by an unspecified cyber incident in June, while Australia's Qantas experienced a data breach in July where a cyber hacker accessed the personal information of millions of customers. But those incidents did not affect flying operations. Separately, Microsoft said on Sunday that there were "active attacks" on its server software used by government agencies and businesses.
Tom's Guide
3 days ago
- Business
- Tom's Guide
Co-op cyberattack exposes personal data of all 6.5 million members — what to do next
The cyberattack at the Co-op Group is now confirmed to have involved the personal data of all 6.5 million members. As reported by Cybernews, Shirine Khoury-Haq, CEO, gave an interview on the BBC this week expressing her regret over the events and confirming the details. The hackers, believed to be members of the Scattered Spider group, managed to copy the member list which included personal details such as full names, home addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and birth dates. Fortunately, as Co-op had previously invested in detection systems that alerted it to the unusual behavior within a few hours, the group was able to shut down parts of its system within hours of the breach keeping the attackers from deploying the DragonForce ransomware. This means that no financial data, purchase history or transaction data was taken and that the hackers were unable to fulfill their goal of using the ransomware attack to blackmail the group. It also means that the attackers were unable to erase what they did, and their code was sent back to authorities resulting in arrests being made. The attack on Co-op occurred in April, just days after the attack on M&S and is believed to be part of a broader campaign that also resulted in a cyberattack targeting Harrods. The Scattered Spider group uses deception tactics to trick IT helpdesk employees into giving its hackers access to a network; the attacks often result in empty grocery store shelves or other businesses reverting back to paper based systems in order to continue operations. The Information Commissioner's Office, the UK's data protection watchdog has said that anyone concerned about their personal data should visit its website for information and support. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Additionally, Co-op members should be on alert for any signs of phishing attacks since threat actors will be looking for vulnerable targets using this stolen data. So be on alert for signs of phishing scams and social engineering attacks so you can avoid falling victim to them. Hackers will often leverage all the information they have on a potential target in order to try and trick you into clicking on a malicious link or downloading a malicious app or other software that appears legitimate but actually contains viruses. Likewise, never click on unexpected links, QR codes or attachments or links from unknown senders. Verify through independent means if someone contacts you asking you to download or click on something. Likewise, don't share personal information with people you don't know online, and clear out any old emails that may contain personal details and information. If you don't already have one of the best antivirus software solutions installed on your devices, make sure you get one. They have multiple features that can help protect you when you go online from VPNs and website alerts to identity monitoring and phishing protection.
