RavnAir says some 260 passengers were affected

Dec 23, 2019 12:24 GMT  ·  By

A cyberattack launched against its network and which eventually caused critical systems like aircraft maintenance equipment to be shut down has forced RavnAir to cancel a series of flights in Alaska.
 

A report from KTUU reveals that the so-called “malicious cyber attack” was discovered on Saturday, but no other details were provided on the malicious actors that might be involved.

However, half-dozen flights were canceled, with approximately 260 passengers directly affected, the report adds citing a company spokesperson.

While RavnAir is already conducting an investigation on the attack, it immediately took action by shutting down the aircraft maintenance system. All Dash 8 aircraft flights were canceled until noon, it said.

“We will be trying to add flights where we can over the next two days,” the company said in a statement. “We have, where possible, re-booked passengers on other flights.”

At this point, RavnAir is working with FBI and cybersecurity experts to restore systems and investigate the cyberattack.

Jet2 cyber attack

Earlier this month, a former Jet2 IT contractor received a sentence of 10 months in prison after he accessed critical systems and deleted data that caused the airline’s network to go offline for 12 hours. Using credentials he obtained during his time with the company, the man connected to critical systems and deleted all user accounts. The data was then recovered from a backup, the prosecutors said.

The 27-year-old man also managed to break into the email account belonging to Jet2 chief executive Steve Heapey, all because he was seeking revenge following a 2017 incident. His cyberattack caused losses of 165,000 British pounds.

“We welcome this sentencing, which sends out a strong message to others. Our IT teams initiated a quick and comprehensive response, and there was no loss or theft of any customer, supplier or group data whatsoever,” the airline said.