Imagine you’re all set to fly home for the holidays, and suddenly, your flight gets delayed because of a cyberattack! 😮 That’s exactly what happened to Japan Airlines (JAL) recently.
What Happened?
On Thursday, Japan Airlines faced a cyberattack that caused over 20 domestic flights to be delayed. The airline’s systems started acting up in the morning when the network connecting their internal and external systems began to malfunction.
What’s a Cyberattack?
A cyberattack is when someone tries to disrupt or damage a computer system or network. In this case, the attackers sent tons of data to JAL’s network all at once, causing it to overload and stop working properly. This kind of attack is called a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack.
Did Anyone Get Hurt?
Thankfully, there was no impact on flight safety, and no customer data was leaked. The airline managed to stop the attack and restore its systems within a few hours. By late morning, flights were back on schedule. 😊
Busy Holiday Season
The cyberattack happened during a super busy time—the year-end holiday season! In Japan, many people travel to their hometowns for the New Year’s holidays, which is the biggest celebration of the year. As you can imagine, airports were packed with passengers at Tokyo’s Haneda airport.
Staying Safe Online
Cyberattacks like this remind us how important cybersecurity is. Experts have been saying that Japan needs to strengthen its online defenses to prevent such attacks in the future.
The Good News
Other airlines in Japan, like ANA Holdings, Skymark, and Starflyer, were not affected by the cyberattack. And JAL is working hard to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.
So, next time you’re traveling, remember that lots of people are working behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly—even when unexpected problems pop up!
Reference(s):
Japan Airlines hit by hacks, delaying flights during year-end season
cgtn.com
