Japan Airlines Hit by Cyberattack, Delays Flights and Operations
Cyberattack Causes Delays and Disruption to Japan Airlines’ Operations
Tokyo: Japan Airlines (JAL) reported a cyberattack on Thursday that caused delays to domestic and international flights, but later said it had found and addressed the cause of the issue.
Impact on Operations
Problems with the airline’s baggage check-in system had delayed more than a dozen flights at several Japanese airports, public broadcaster NHK said, but there were no mass cancellations or major disruption. JAL is the country’s second-biggest airline after All Nippon Airways (ANA).
Statement from JAL
"We identified and addressed the cause of the issue. We are checking the system recovery status," JAL said in a post on social media platform X. "Sales for both domestic and international flights departing today have been suspended. We apologize for any inconvenience caused," the post said.
Timeline of Events
Network disruption began at 7:24 am on Thursday (2224 GMT Wednesday), JAL said in a statement. Then "at 8:56 am, we temporarily isolated the router (a device for exchanging data between networks) that was causing the disruption", it added. JAL shares fell as much as 2.5 percent in morning trade after the news emerged, before recovering slightly.
Japan’s History of Cyber Attacks
The airline is just the latest Japanese firm to be hit by a cyber attack. Japan’s space agency JAXA said in 2023 that it was likely penetrated by a cyber attack by unknown entities, but no sensitive information about rockets or satellites was accessed. The same year, Nagoya Port, one of Japan’s busiest, was crippled by a ransomware attack that was blamed on Lockbit, a Russia-based cybercrime organisation.
Other Recent Cyber Attacks in Japan
Japan’s National Center of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity (NISC) — the agency responsible for defences against cyberattacks — was itself reportedly infiltrated by hackers in 2023 for as long as nine months. In 2022, the government said a cyberattack was behind disruption at a Toyota supplier that forced the top-selling automaker to halt operations at domestic plants for a day. More recently, the popular Japanese video-sharing website Niconico suspended its services in June because it was under a large-scale cyberattack, its operator said.
Conclusion
The recent cyberattack on Japan Airlines is a reminder of the growing threat of cybercrime and the importance of strong cybersecurity measures to protect against such attacks. As the world becomes increasingly dependent on digital technology, it is essential that companies and governments take proactive steps to safeguard against these threats and minimize the impact of cyber attacks.
FAQs
- When did the cyberattack on Japan Airlines occur?
The cyberattack occurred on Thursday, with network disruption beginning at 7:24 am. - How many flights were delayed due to the cyberattack?
More than a dozen flights were delayed at several Japanese airports. - What was the cause of the cyberattack?
The cause of the cyberattack was not disclosed, but JAL said it had isolated the router causing the disruption. - Has JAL’s operations been fully restored?
Yes, JAL said it had found and addressed the cause of the issue, and is checking the system recovery status.