Anonymous Sudan claims second major cyber attack on Scandinavian airline SAS

Scandinavian airline SAS suffered a significant cyber attack that knocked its website and apps offline, less than six months after the airline suffered another major attack.

The security incident came to light when SAS customers started complaining on social media that they were unable to visit the airline’s website and carry out necessary tasks before boarding their flights.

“Hello, yes we have technical issues with the website today, it is reported and being investigated. Please try again later, we are working on resolving the issue as soon as possible,” SAS said in a reply to customers who expressed their concerns on social media.

The notorious Anonymous Sudan hacker group has claimed responsibility for the cyber attack on SAS and listed the airline as a victim on its Telegram channel. “We were bored and we missed Sweden and we missed Scandinavian Airlines so we dropped the SAS app and website,” the group wrote in a post uploaded on May 24 on its Telegram channel. The group continued to publish fresh posts, mostly mocking the airline.

“Let us play a beautiful game with you, SAS company. You previously tried to repel the attack and were unable, and this is the second strike that we proved to you that we can. What do you think we tell you how to repel the attack for $3,500? Or blackmail you and take $3,500 to stop the attack? Otherwise we will continue the attack and will leak something you will not like,” another post read.

In a last desperate post, Anonymous Sudan increased the ransom amount to $175,000 as the airline did not meet the hacker group’s demand and said it will continue to increase the ransom amount and keep the airline’s services down till it pays up.

“Either lose thousands of customers and millions of dollars and lose years of built-up reputation, or comply with our simple demands,” the group wrote.

It’s not clear whether SAS will meet the hacker groups demands or whether Anonymous Sudan will leak the files allegedly stolen from SAS. At the time of writing, the airline’s website was not accessible.

SAS suffered another cyber attack in February this year that, according to the airline, “led to our website and app being down for a few hours.”

Anonymous Sudan had claimed responsibility for the February cyber attack, stating that the burning of the Qur’an during a January protest in Stockholm motivated them to target Swedish organisations.

In its Telegram channel, the hacker group said, “This message is addressed to the idiot Swedish experts. Russia has nothing to do with these attacks. These attacks are only in response to the burning of the Qur’an, and what Sweden is always doing by burning the Qur’an.

“And we will continue the attacks in a large and violent manner, if an official apology is not issued by the Swedish government regarding the burning of the Qur’an,” the group added.