The FBI and cybersecurity companies are warning that the prolific hacking group known as the scattered spiders is currently targeting the airlines and transportation sector.
In a brief statement on Friday shared with TechCrunch, the FBI said it had “recently observed” spider-like cyberattacks, including the airline sector.
Executives from the Security Research Unit 42 of Google’s cybersecurity unit Mandiant and Palo Alto Networks said they have witnessed scattered spider cyberattacks targeting the aviation industry.
Scattered spiders are primarily a group of English-speaking hackers, usually teenagers and young adults, who are financially motivated to steal and force sensitive data from corporate networks. Hackers are also known for their deception tactics. This often relies on threats of social engineering, phishing, and sometimes violence against company help desks and call centers to access networks and sometimes deploy ransomware.
The FBI statement added that hackers could target large companies and their third-party IT providers. It means “anyone in the airline’s ecosystem, including trusted vendors and contractors, can be at risk.”
The warning comes as at least two airlines have reported break-ins this month.
Hawaiian Airlines said late Thursday it was working to secure its systems after a cyberattack. Westjet, Canada’s second-largest airline, reported a cyberattack on June 13th, which remains unresolved. Media reports link the Westjet incident to scattered spiders.
This fresh wave of scattered spider attacks comes shortly after cybercrime gangs target the UK retail and insurance industries. Hackers have previously been divided into hotel chains, casinos and tech giants.
Updated with an additional statement from the FBI.
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