Data Breach at British Airways Puts Passenger Information at Risk

British Airways announced in September that a data breach on their website had put credit card information at risk for passengers who booked travel between August 21 and September 5. The airline is now reporting that another breach earlier in the year could have exposed the information of up to an additional 185,000 travelers.

Booked travel with British Airways between April 21 and June 28 of this year? You may want to change your passwords and check your credit card statements.

The carrier announced on Thursday, October 26, that it had discovered a data breach from earlier in the year that potentially exposed the address, email, and credit card information of up to 185,000 customers. Of those passengers, 77,000 may have had the card verification value (CVV) number of their credit cards stolen as well.

International Airlines Group, which owns British Airways and issued the statement concerning the breach, said that it has not yet received any reports about fraud committed in relation to the breach, nor any “conclusive evidence” that data was removed. Nonetheless, IAG stated it would be contacting potentially affected passengers to inform them that their data may have been compromised and to urge them to get in touch with their financial institutions as a precautionary measure.

The Guardian reports that chairman and CEO Alex Cruz has promised that the airline will compensate travelers who suffer from “financial hardship” due to the breach. Additionally, he announced that the carrier takes “the protection of our customers’ data very seriously” and that British Airways is working closely with cyber forensics experts and the National Crime Agency to investigate the causes and scope of the breach…

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