EasyJet has announced that it has been a target of a major cyber attack from a “highly sophisticated” source, according to a statement released by the British airlines.
Post a detailed investigation, the airline found out that approximately 9 million customers had their email addresses and travel details compromised, while 2,208 customers had their credit card details exposed. EasyJet assured that affected customers will be contacted latest by May 26.
EasyJet Chief Executive Officer Johan Lundgren said, “We take the cyber security of our systems very seriously and have robust security measures in place to protect our customers’ personal information. However, this is an evolving threat as cyber attackers get ever more sophisticated.
“Since we became aware of the incident, it has become clear that owing to COVID-19 there is heightened concern about personal data being used for online scams. As a result, and on the recommendation of the ICO, we are contacting those customers whose travel information was accessed and we are advising them to be extra vigilant, particularly if they receive unsolicited communications.”
He added, “Every business must continue to stay agile to stay ahead of the threat. We will continue to invest in protecting our customers, our systems, and our data. We would like to apologise to those customers who have been affected by this incident.”
EasyJet said it has notified the National Cyber Security Center and the UK data regulator, Information Commissioner’s Office.
