Akasa Air passengers’ personal information leaks in data breach: Report
The personal information of Akasa Air passengers, including details such as names, gender, email addresses and phone numbers, have reportedly been leaked to “unauthorised individuals.” The newly-launched Akasa Air only began commercial operations as recently as August 7.
Business Standard reports that the airline sent emails to passengers who had booked tickets through its website, informing them about the data breach. The publication also reports that Akasa self-reported the breach to the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), the nodal agency under the Minry of Electronics and Information Technology that handles cybersecurity threats.
“A temporary technical configuration error related to our login and sign-up service was reported on August 25, 2022. As a result, some Akasa Air regered user information limited to names, gender, email addresses and phone numbers may have been viewed unauthorized individuals. We can confirm to you that aside from the above details, no travel-related information, travel records or payment information was compromised,” says the email from Akasa Air, shared a Twitter user.
The company said that it stopped the “unauthorised access” completely shutting down the elements of the system associated with the breach. It added that it has resumed log-in and sign-up services after adding additional controls to address the situation. Akasa also added that it is undertaking additional reviews to strengthen its systems against such attacks in the future.
Looks like a pax data breach of some sort @AkasaAir. Glad to see them proactively inform tho. #paxex #AkasaAir
Did other fellow #AvGeeks from the inaugural also get this email last night @Vinamralongani @ShivamVahia @BrownPoints @gotravelyourway @thetrickytrade pic.twitter.com/ZRJrvgdTpE
— AJ (@OntheRoadAJ) August 28, 2022
“We wanted to make you aware of this situation and urge you to be vigilant against possible phishing attempts, since your information may have been accessed as a result of this incident.” added the airline in its mail to passengers, highlighting the potential risk of phishing attempts using the data that was leaked in the breach.
Billionaire Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, one of the key investors in Akasa Air, passed away on August 14, just a week after the airline’s inaugural flight from Mumbai to Ahmedabad.
