Cyber attack disrupts South African Airways operations

South Africa’s biggest airlines South African Airways said it recently suffered a significant data security incident that affected the company’s daily operations.

 

On May 6, in a press release, the South African state-owned airline said that on May 3, it became a victim of a significant cyber incident where unauthorised threat actors infiltrated its internal network. This caused significant disruption to the airline’s website, mobile application, and several internal operational systems.

 

SAA immediately launched an investigation, with assistance from external cyber security experts, to determine the nature and scope of the incident.

 

“SAA immediately activated its robust disaster management and business continuity protocols upon detection of the incident. These swift actions successfully contained the incident and minimised disruption to core flight operations. 

 

“They also ensured the continued functionality of essential customer service channels, such as the airline’s contact centres and sales offices. Normal system functionality across all affected platforms was restored later the same day,” SAA said in its press release.

 

The airlines added that the incident was reported to the State Security Agency (SSA), South African Police Service (SAPS) for criminal investigation and the Information Regulator of South Africas a precautionary measure under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

 

Commenting on the news, Prof. John Lamola, Group CEO of South African Airways, said, “The security and integrity of our business systems and the protection of the consumer data entrusted to us remain our highest priority. 

 

“In response to the cyber incident that began on May 3rd, we acted swiftly to contain the disruption, restore services, and initiate a comprehensive investigation. Our robust business continuity measures ensured operational stability, particularly for our valued customers. 

 

“I want to assure all stakeholders, including our partners, customers, and dedicated employees, that we are taking every necessary step to determine the root cause of this incident, strengthen our security framework, and mitigate any potential risks. SAA remains committed to delivering safe, reliable, and resilient service,” Prof, Lamola added.

 

At the time of publishing, no known hacker group claimed responsibility for the cyber attack on SAA. The airlines company also did not share details on who was behind the attack, how much data was compromised, or whether it has received a ransom demand.