Image courtesy of Yuri Samoilov
Airbus detected what it is calling “a cyber incident” with its commercial aircraft information systems that resulted in unauthorized access to data, the company revealed Jan. 30.
“This is mostly professional contact and IT identification details of some Airbus employees in Europe,” Airbus said. A company spokesman said what was accessed mostly comprised professional data such as name and contact information for European employees, and the relevant individuals are being informed of the access. There is “no impact on [Airbus’] operation,” he added.
“This incident is being thoroughly investigated by Airbus’ experts who have taken immediate and appropriate actions to reinforce existing security measures and to mitigate its potential impact, as well as determining its origins,” the company said in a statement.
Airbus is in contact with regulatory and data protection authorities, the company said, but advises employees to take precautions.
The company spokesman said no customer data was exposed, but had no comment regarding whether the company knew the identity of the individual or individuals who accessed the data or how it was accessed.
Cybersecurity is an issue many aviation companies have had to address. Alaska Airlines was hacked in early 2017 and WestJet detailed last year how it faced hundreds of thousands of cyber attacks. Thales has also said cyber attacks in the industry are a commonality, while 2016 general data protection regulations in Europe have changed the requirements for how individuals’ data is protected.