Japan Airlines announced that it faced a cyberattack on Thursday, disrupting over 20 domestic flights. The airline said it quickly restored its systems, emphasizing flight safety was not compromised.
The disruption began when the airline experienced a malfunction in its network connecting internal and external systems. Japan Airlines attributed the issue to a denial-of-service attack, which flooded its system with traffic until it crashed or became unresponsive.
Experts have long warned about Japan’s cybersecurity vulnerabilities. While the country has made progress, analysts emphasize that significant improvements are still necessary.
A similar cyberattack hit Japan’s space agency in June, causing no disruption to critical data on rockets and defense systems. However, a separate attack last year disrupted operations at a container terminal in Nagoya’s port for three days.
Japan Airlines temporarily suspended ticket sales for domestic and international flights but resumed operations within hours. Other carriers were not impacted by the cyberattack. The transport ministry directed Japan Airlines to expedite system restoration efforts to ensure accommodations for affected passengers.
Source: https://www.newsweek.com/japan-airlines-cyber-attack-flights-delayed-holiday-travel-2006230