Japan Airlines (JAL) experienced a cyberattack on Thursday, which led to delays for over 20 domestic flights. Thankfully, the airline managed to contain the attack quickly and restore its systems in just a few hours, assuring passengers that flight safety was not compromised.
The issues began in the morning when JAL’s network, which connects various internal and external systems, began to malfunction. The airline identified that the cause was a deliberate attack designed to overwhelm its network with excessive data traffic. These types of attacks, known as denial-of-service attacks, aim to flood a system so it cannot function properly.
JAL confirmed that there were no viruses involved in the attack and no customer data was compromised. However, by late morning, the disruption had resulted in delays for 24 flights, each by more than half an hour.
Concerns about Japan’s cybersecurity have been growing, particularly as the nation enhances its defenses and collaborates more closely with allies like the United States. While Japan has made some advancements in this area, experts agree that there is still much work left to be done.
In related news, earlier this year, Japan’s space agency reported suffering a series of cyberattacks, though it stated that sensitive information regarding rockets and defense was not at risk. Last year, a significant cyber incident had already disrupted operations at a major port for three days.
During Thursday’s incident, JAL temporarily halted ticket sales for both domestic and international flights but resumed operations a few hours later. Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, stated that the transport ministry had urged JAL to expedite the recovery of its systems and assist affected passengers.
Fortunately, other airlines such as ANA Holdings, Skymark, and Starflyer were not impacted. The timing of the attack is particularly unfortunate, as it coincides with the year-end holiday travel season, when many travelers flood airports to return home for the New Year celebrations.
