Air Canada loses internal data
In a statement to Globe and Mail, Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatricksaid that “certain records” were infected by the “limited” breach.However, he didn’t name the records that were exposed. The country’s largest airline carrier hasn’t clarified when the hack happened or when the company first learned about the cybersecurity incident.
Fitzpatrick noted: “We can confirm that our flight operations systems and customer-facing systems were not affected. No customer information was accessed. We can also confirm all our systems are fully operational. We have since implemented further enhancements to our security measures, including with the help of leading global cybersecurity experts, to prevent such incidents in the future as part of our ongoing commitment to maintaining the security of the data we hold.”
He also added that Air Canada has notified relevant authorities and contacted some workers. However, the airline said that it won’t be providing any other details about the matter, “as the personal information accessed was strictly internal,” Fitzpatrick mentioned.
How Air Canada is countering the attack
A senior communications adviser at the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Vito Pilieci has confirmed that a breach report from Air Canada has been received. He said: “We are now reviewing that report in order to determine next steps.”
Royal Mounted Canadian Police (RMCP) spokesperson Kim Chamberland said, that since Air Canada is headquartered in Montreal, the company has likely contacted the police of jurisdiction in Quebec.
Both public and private companies across Canada have been targeted by data breaches and cyberattacks. In August, the RCMP and the Communications Security Establishment said that these attacks will continue to pose a significant threat to national security and economic prosperity over the next two years.