TIL CreativesA 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.
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 Spidee 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, 鈥渨hich means anyone in the airline ecosystem, including trusted vendors and contractors, could be at risk.鈥 鈥淥nce inside (a victim鈥檚 network), Scattered Spider actors steal sensitive data for extortion and often deploy ransomware,鈥 the FBI said. 鈥淚t is actively working with aviation and industry partners to address this activity and assist victims,鈥 America鈥檚 law enforcement agency further stated.Hawaiian Airlines and Canada鈥檚 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.Live EventsHawaiian 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 鈥渟ome of our IT systems鈥 had been affected by a 鈥渃ybersecurity event.鈥滱ccording 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 鈥渢aken steps to safeguard our operations, and our flights are operating safely and as scheduled.鈥滿eanwhile, for Canada鈥檚 WestJet, issues started two weeks ago, when the airline said it was responding to a 鈥渃ybersecurity incident鈥 that was affecting access 鈥渢o some services and software systems,鈥 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.(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
Read More News onCybercriminal group Scattered Spidercyberattacks on airlinesScattered Spider hacking grouptravel industry cybercrimeFBI aviation cyber threats
(Catch all the US News, UK News, Canada News, International Breaking News Events, and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily International News Updates….moreless
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)Read More News onCybercriminal group Scattered Spidercyberattacks on airlinesScattered Spider hacking grouptravel industry cybercrimeFBI aviation cyber threats(Catch all the US News, UK News, Canada News, International Breaking News Events, and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily International News Updates….moreless
Explore More Stories123