Australian airline Qantas has confirmed that 5.7 million people have been impacted by a recent data breach, in which threat actors stole customers' data. While the company did not share any further details, BleepingComputer learned that the attack shared similarities with other attacks on the aviation industry linked to threat actors classified as Scattered Spider. "Our absolute focus since the incident has been to understand what data has been compromised for each of the 5.7 million impacted customers and to share this with them as soon as possible," said Qantas Group Chief Executive Officer Vanessa Hudson. The threat actors, classified as Scattered Spider, are utilizing social engineering attacks to breach corporate networks and systems, stealing data and attempting to extort companies into paying a ransom. On Monday, Qantas warned that the threat actors had contacted them, likely to begin extorting the company to prevent the release of the stolen data. The airline also continues to stress that no Qantas Frequent Flyer accounts, passwords, PINs and login details, financial information, or passport details were stolen in the attack. Qantas says they are now contacting customers whose data was stolen and have implemented additional safeguards to protect customers' data. The attack on Qantas follows other recent attacks on the aviation industry, including those on Hawaiian Airlines and WestJet.
This Cyber News was published on www.bleepingcomputer.com. Publication date: Wed, 09 Jul 2025 20:15:12 +0000