Japan Airlines Faces Flight Delays Following Cyberattack
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Tokyo, Dec 26 (NationPress) Japan Airlines (JAL) disclosed on Thursday that its luggage check-in system has been targeted by a cyberattack, resulting in delays for at least 24 domestic flights, some experiencing hold-ups of up to one hour. The disruptions affected international flights as well, as reported by the airline.
The airline indicated that the complications were detected around 7:25 a.m., leading JAL to halt ticket sales for both domestic and international flights for the remainder of the day. However, passengers with pre-booked tickets are permitted to use them.
According to investigators, the airline has alerted authorities regarding a potential distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, where numerous sources inundate a network with data to incapacitate it swiftly, as reported by the Kyodo News agency.
JAL emphasized that it is actively working to mitigate the cyberattack and pinpoint its origin, mentioning that the disruption could potentially affect a wider range of flights. The airline successfully deactivated a compromised router for the time being.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, who serves as Japan's leading government spokesperson, conveyed during a press briefing that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has urged JAL to promptly rectify the system issue to adequately support impacted passengers.
Other carriers, such as All Nippon Airways, Skymark Airlines, Solaseed Air, and Star Flyer, have reported no cyber threats and are functioning normally.
At Tokyo's Haneda airport, passengers were observed checking their phones and communicating with staff, while Narita airport in Chiba Prefecture experienced no notable chaos. A traveler in his 30s, en route from Haneda to Ishigaki Island in Okinawa, expressed anxiety, stating, "I managed to check in without issues, but it's concerning that there’s a problem."
In contrast, a man in his 60s, bound for Matsuyama in Ehime Prefecture, remarked, "It's quite a hassle during this busy year-end season."
A cyberattack is defined as an unauthorized intrusion into computer systems that compromises the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of its data.
The growing reliance on intricate and interconnected computer systems across various sectors of life is a primary factor that enhances vulnerability to cyber threats, as nearly all computer systems are susceptible to bugs that attackers can exploit.
While creating a completely secure system is often unfeasible, numerous defensive strategies exist that can make a system more challenging to breach, underscoring the increasing significance of information security in today's world.
