A Brief Weekly Review of Top Stories that Dominated the Cyberworld

The outgoing week saw a number of events that shook the world of cybersecurity. From Air India divulging data of 4.5m passengers that were stolen in SITA cyberattack to a malicious cyberattack on Belgium interior ministry, the cybersecurity realm was full of headline-grabbing developments.

Here’s a brief review of what took place in the past week.

Air India revealed data of 4.5m passengers were stolen in SITA cyberattack

Three months after global aviation industry IT supplier SITA was hit by a cyberattack, Air India divulged the event resulted in the data of around 4.5 million of its passengers being stolen.

Air India said that the breach involved personal data spanning almost 10 years, from 26 August 2011 to 3 February 2021. The stolen information included name, date of birth, contact information, passport information, ticket information, Star Alliance and Air India frequent flyer data, and credit card data.

No frequent flyer passwords or CVV/CVC data were stolen, however, as this information was not held by SITA. While the SITA cyber-attack was first exposed at the end of February, Air India said it only appreciated the severity of the cyber-attack last month.

Nearly 70% of Australians concerned about privacy using new technology

A survey conducted by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) suggested that nearly 70% of Australians, irrespective of their age, are worried about their privacy when using new technology.

ACMA said that such deep involvement in the online world also brings with it an array of risks and challenges, from privacy and security worries to exposure to misinformation and propaganda, rip-offs, online harassment, and other problems.

Belgium interior ministry said it was hit by a cyberattack

The Belgian interior ministry was hit by a “sophisticated” cyberattack, a spokesman told RTBF public television.

Olivier Maerens, the Federal Public Service Interior’s communications director, however, said that the ministry’s servers were highly secured and that the threat actors failed to get hold of the most sensitive data.

Federal prosecutors had conducted a probe to identify the origin of the operation, which data had been hacked and whether a foreign state was involved.