Sep 7, 2018, 8:15 am
Last edit by: tbm13
Are you trying to change your BA password and having difficulty doing so? For some suggestions, go to this wikipost.
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On Thursday 6 September 2018 at about 1830 London time (UTC+1), BA announced that there had been a data breach involving customers using the BA website and the BA mobile app.
Updates from BA are being posted to this ba.com page: https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...st-information
A further update dated 25 October 2018 can be found in this post 1377. The SPG Law class action thread can be found here.
As at 1400 London time on Tuesday 11 September 2018, the body of that page read:-
That is followed by a series of FAQs. These are reproduced at the end of this wikipost.
If you are experiencing difficulties in changing your BA password or want further information about doing so, some information is in this thread: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...rd-ba-com.html (which also has a wikipost).
Reports from FTers suggest that credit card companies and banks are taking differing approaches to this incident:-
As of Wednesday 12th September, affected customers are being emailed with the following additional information
Note that the email from BA gives you a personal "Activation Code". However, when you get to the signup forms for ProtectMyID, you put the code into the second page of the sign up form in the "Promotional Code" field.
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On Thursday 6 September 2018 at about 1830 London time (UTC+1), BA announced that there had been a data breach involving customers using the BA website and the BA mobile app.
Updates from BA are being posted to this ba.com page: https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...st-information
A further update dated 25 October 2018 can be found in this post 1377. The SPG Law class action thread can be found here.
As at 1400 London time on Tuesday 11 September 2018, the body of that page read:-
Customer data theft
We are investigating, as a matter of urgency, the theft of customer data between 22:58 BST August 21 2018 until 21:45 BST September 5 2018 from our website, ba.com, and our mobile app.
The stolen data included personal and financial details of customers making bookings and changes on ba.com and the airline’s app. The data did not include travel or passport details.
The theft has been reported to the authorities and our website is now working normally.
What to do if you have been affected
If you believe you may have been affected because you made a booking or paid to change to your booking with a credit or debit card on ba.com or the mobile app between 22:58 BST August 21 2018 until 21:45 BST September 5 2018, we recommend you contact your bank or credit card provider and follow their advice.
We understand that this incident will cause concern and inconvenience. We are contacting all affected customers to say sorry, and we will continue to update them in the coming days.
Phishing
Customers should also be aware that fraudsters may be claiming to be British Airways and attempt to gather personal information by deception (known as 'phishing').
We will not be contacting any customers asking for payment card details and any such requests should be reported to the police and relevant authorities.
See below for more information on how to validate that the email you have received from us is genuine.
We are investigating, as a matter of urgency, the theft of customer data between 22:58 BST August 21 2018 until 21:45 BST September 5 2018 from our website, ba.com, and our mobile app.
The stolen data included personal and financial details of customers making bookings and changes on ba.com and the airline’s app. The data did not include travel or passport details.
The theft has been reported to the authorities and our website is now working normally.
What to do if you have been affected
If you believe you may have been affected because you made a booking or paid to change to your booking with a credit or debit card on ba.com or the mobile app between 22:58 BST August 21 2018 until 21:45 BST September 5 2018, we recommend you contact your bank or credit card provider and follow their advice.
We understand that this incident will cause concern and inconvenience. We are contacting all affected customers to say sorry, and we will continue to update them in the coming days.
Phishing
Customers should also be aware that fraudsters may be claiming to be British Airways and attempt to gather personal information by deception (known as 'phishing').
We will not be contacting any customers asking for payment card details and any such requests should be reported to the police and relevant authorities.
See below for more information on how to validate that the email you have received from us is genuine.
If you are experiencing difficulties in changing your BA password or want further information about doing so, some information is in this thread: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...rd-ba-com.html (which also has a wikipost).
Reports from FTers suggest that credit card companies and banks are taking differing approaches to this incident:-
- American Express - A recorded message says they are aware of the breach, there is no need to take any further action and if you suffer any financial loss you will be fully compensated; an email says: "There is no action you need to take – we will contact you immediately if there's any unusual activity with your Account. In the meantime you can continue to use your Card as normal" (see post 293, post 401, post 470 and post 491).
- Barclaycard - They just assured me I was fully protected, and I didn't need to do anything yet (see post 253); however at 18.20 on 7/9/18 the customer service helpline automated message says that affected cards are being reissued (see post 511).
- Barclays Bank - They have contacted people they believe to have been affected, and have blocked their cards from online use (website/app), but the cards remain valid for physical (chip & PIN) transactions in shops, ATMs etc. New cards being dispatched "within a week" (see post 918).
- Capital One - online transactions being blocked, new cards being issued (see post 493).
- Chase (British Airways visa) - no contact from Chase about data breach and card still working
- HSBC Premier Mastercard - Offering customers the option to freeze the card or replace it with a new card (see post 274).
- Lloyds - Said "wait and see", but did give the option to cancel the card and have it reissued (see post 403).
- Lloyds Mastercard - Based on the information they have, fraudulent use of my card is unlikely, just keep an eye on online banking and report anything suspicious (see post 370).
- Monzo - Automatically replacing all cards (see post 371).
- Natwest- Of the opinion that as there had been no fraudulent activity on my account to just keep an eye on things, and to call immediately if any suspicious transactions appear and fraud team would refund (post 315).
- Sainsburys Bank - seem to be replacing all cards proactively (see post 968)
- Starling - Automatically replacing cards (see post 460).
- Tesco Bank - Pro-actively sending a new card as per details in this post (post 484)
- TSB - Call the Telephone Banking Team on 03459 758758 to discuss further (see post 437).
- Vanquis - online transactions being blocked, new cards being issued (see post 493).
Have I been affected?
How do I know if I have been affected?
Customers who made bookings or changes to their bookings on ba.com or our mobile app between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 BST September 5, 2018 may have been affected.
We advise any customers who believe they may have been affected to contact their banks or credit card providers and follow their advice.
We are experiencing high call volumes into our contact centres so please continue to check this page for the latest information.
Contact us
What data has been lost?
The personal and financial details of customers making bookings on ba.com and our mobile app between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 BST September 5, 2018 was compromised. No passport or travel details were stolen. Only customers who made bookings between these dates are affected.
Names, billing address, email address and all bank card details were all at risk.
Did this affect just new bookings or any payment transaction made within the impacted time period?
All payment transactions made on ba.com or our mobile app from 22:58 BST August 21 2018 to 21:45 September 5 2018 inclusive were affected. Nothing before or after these dates and times was impacted. Payments made through our call centres, travel agents or online travel sites are not affected.
Are my saved payment card details safe if they were used to make a booking in that period?
If you made a payment using a saved card on ba.com or the mobile app from 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 to 21:45 September 5, 2018 inclusive, you may have been impacted.
No Executive Club accounts were compromised in the data theft. There is no impact to Avios or details stored with the British Airways Executive Club.
Has saved credit card data been stolen, even if a booking hasn’t been made in that period?
No, saved payment card data has not been compromised. However, if you made a payment using a saved card on ba.com or the mobile app from 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 to 21:45 September 5, 2018 inclusive, you may have been impacted.
How were phone numbers not affected?
Phone number information is collected in a separate part of the booking process and is not used as part of the payment transaction therefore this has not been impacted.
I used PayPal to pay for my ba.com transaction. Is this impacted?
If you booked through PayPal, your PayPal account will not have been compromised. There does remain the risk that some of your personal information such as your name and address may have been accessed. No passport details or travel details were compromised.
Is Apple Pay affected?
If you used Apple Pay via the mobile app then your data will not have been compromised.
I had a failed payment attempt during the affected time period – am I affected?
If you clicked the pay button on ba.com then the transaction would have taken place even if the outcome was unsuccessful and the data would have been compromised.
We advise any concerned customers to contact their banks or credit card providers and follow their advice.
Will I be affected if I made a free change to my booking but my payment card details were saved in the reservation?
If you made a free change to your booking via ba.com and did not use your payment card as part of that transaction, then you will not have been impacted.
Are travel agent bookings affected?
Only bookings or changes to bookings made directly with ba.com or the mobile app between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 BST September 5, 2018 were affected.
If a change was made to a travel agent booking on ba.com and payment made for an additional product, such as seat reservations or excess baggage, then these would be affected.
Does this affect Executive Club accounts in any way? i.e. missing Avios/ Tier Points
No accounts were compromised in the data theft. There is no impact to Avios or details stored with the British Airways Executive Club.
I received an email about the data theft, however I only cancelled a booking during this time – will I be affected?
If you cancelled and refunded your booking between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 September 5, 2018, you will not have been impacted.
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What should I do if I think I am affected?
Should I call my bank or cancel my credit cards?
We recommend that all customers who made bookings or changes to their bookings with ba.com or the mobile app, between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 BST September 5, 2018, contact their banks or credit card providers and follow their advice.
I think my card was compromised when I made a booking on ba.com outside of the time period – what should I do?
The data theft relates to customer bookings made or changed between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 September 5, 2018 only.
We advise any concerned customers to contact their banks or credit card providers and follow their advice.
How would I know if I have been a victim of identity theft?
There are a number of signs to look out for that may indicate that you might have been a victim of identity theft:-
If you are concerned about an email, we recommend that you don't click on any links, open any documents or reply to it until you have looked into it further.
Official emails relating to this theft will be sent from: [email protected]. You should hover over the sent email address to confirm this is where the email has been sent from before clicking on it.
British Airways will never proactively contact you to request your personal or confidential information. If you ever receive an email or call, claiming to be from us, requesting this information, please report it to us straight away.
We've put the details of the scams we're aware of on our ba.com website security page. There's also security essentials information to help you, along with details of how to report any new scams to us (or other emails/calls that have concerned you).
Will I be reimbursed?
We take the protection of our customers’ data seriously and are very sorry for the concern that this criminal activity has caused.
We will continue to keep our customers updated with the very latest information.
No customer will be out of pocket as a direct result of the criminal theft of data from ba.com and the airline’s mobile app. Any customer who made a booking between 22:58 BST August 21 2018 and 21:45 BST September 5 2018 will be reimbursed for any fraudulent activity on their accounts as a direct result of the data theft and we shall advise the process for this in due course.
We will be offering a 12-month credit rating monitoring service to any affected customer who is concerned about an impact to their credit rating, provided by specialists in the field and will share details of this in the near future.
Will BA pay for costs associated with getting new cards, e.g. postage costs?
No customer will be out of pocket as a direct result of the criminal theft of data from ba.com and the airline’s mobile app. We are working through the process and will update our customers as soon as we can.
How do I reset my ba.com password?
ba.com and Executive Club accounts have not been compromised and your login details are safe.
However, if you’d like to change your password, first ensure you are logged out of ba.com and click the Forgotten Pin/Password link on the top right-hand corner of the homepage. We recommend you choose a unique password that you do not use for any other online account.
We are aware of some customers experiencing intermittent issues when attempting to reset their passwords. We are working on resolving this as quickly as possible.
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How does this affect my bookings?
What shall I do if I am due to travel today?
The incident has been resolved and all systems are working normally so customers due to travel can check-in online as normal.
Will I still be able to check in?
Yes, all customers booked on our flights will be able to check in as normal.
Will this affect any future bookings?
The incident has been resolved and ba.com is working normally so future bookings will not be affected.
Will bookings made over the period of this incident remain confirmed?
Yes, all bookings made remain valid for travel.
If I cancelled the card my booking was made with what do I need to bring to the airport?
The payment card that was used to pay for the booking should be brought to the airport if you are the owner of the card and are travelling. However, if the payment card has expired since the booking was made and you have a new card, or you don't have the original card used for payment, please print out a copy of your flight itinerary from Manage my Booking.
I have now cancelled my credit card, but I had used that card to make a future flight booking, so how will I be able to access that booking?
You do not need to enter your payment card details when retrieving an existing booking via Manage My Booking on ba.com, so access to future booking is not restricted due to the cancellation of the payment card.
How do I know if I have been affected?
Customers who made bookings or changes to their bookings on ba.com or our mobile app between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 BST September 5, 2018 may have been affected.
We advise any customers who believe they may have been affected to contact their banks or credit card providers and follow their advice.
We are experiencing high call volumes into our contact centres so please continue to check this page for the latest information.
Contact us
What data has been lost?
The personal and financial details of customers making bookings on ba.com and our mobile app between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 BST September 5, 2018 was compromised. No passport or travel details were stolen. Only customers who made bookings between these dates are affected.
Names, billing address, email address and all bank card details were all at risk.
Did this affect just new bookings or any payment transaction made within the impacted time period?
All payment transactions made on ba.com or our mobile app from 22:58 BST August 21 2018 to 21:45 September 5 2018 inclusive were affected. Nothing before or after these dates and times was impacted. Payments made through our call centres, travel agents or online travel sites are not affected.
Are my saved payment card details safe if they were used to make a booking in that period?
If you made a payment using a saved card on ba.com or the mobile app from 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 to 21:45 September 5, 2018 inclusive, you may have been impacted.
No Executive Club accounts were compromised in the data theft. There is no impact to Avios or details stored with the British Airways Executive Club.
Has saved credit card data been stolen, even if a booking hasn’t been made in that period?
No, saved payment card data has not been compromised. However, if you made a payment using a saved card on ba.com or the mobile app from 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 to 21:45 September 5, 2018 inclusive, you may have been impacted.
How were phone numbers not affected?
Phone number information is collected in a separate part of the booking process and is not used as part of the payment transaction therefore this has not been impacted.
I used PayPal to pay for my ba.com transaction. Is this impacted?
If you booked through PayPal, your PayPal account will not have been compromised. There does remain the risk that some of your personal information such as your name and address may have been accessed. No passport details or travel details were compromised.
Is Apple Pay affected?
If you used Apple Pay via the mobile app then your data will not have been compromised.
I had a failed payment attempt during the affected time period – am I affected?
If you clicked the pay button on ba.com then the transaction would have taken place even if the outcome was unsuccessful and the data would have been compromised.
We advise any concerned customers to contact their banks or credit card providers and follow their advice.
Will I be affected if I made a free change to my booking but my payment card details were saved in the reservation?
If you made a free change to your booking via ba.com and did not use your payment card as part of that transaction, then you will not have been impacted.
Are travel agent bookings affected?
Only bookings or changes to bookings made directly with ba.com or the mobile app between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 BST September 5, 2018 were affected.
If a change was made to a travel agent booking on ba.com and payment made for an additional product, such as seat reservations or excess baggage, then these would be affected.
Does this affect Executive Club accounts in any way? i.e. missing Avios/ Tier Points
No accounts were compromised in the data theft. There is no impact to Avios or details stored with the British Airways Executive Club.
I received an email about the data theft, however I only cancelled a booking during this time – will I be affected?
If you cancelled and refunded your booking between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 September 5, 2018, you will not have been impacted.
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What should I do if I think I am affected?
Should I call my bank or cancel my credit cards?
We recommend that all customers who made bookings or changes to their bookings with ba.com or the mobile app, between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 BST September 5, 2018, contact their banks or credit card providers and follow their advice.
I think my card was compromised when I made a booking on ba.com outside of the time period – what should I do?
The data theft relates to customer bookings made or changed between 22:58 BST August 21, 2018 and 21:45 September 5, 2018 only.
We advise any concerned customers to contact their banks or credit card providers and follow their advice.
How would I know if I have been a victim of identity theft?
There are a number of signs to look out for that may indicate that you might have been a victim of identity theft:-
- Post from your bank or utility provider doesn’t arrive.
- You apply for state benefits, but are told you are already claiming.
- Refused financial services, credit cards or a loan, despite having a good credit rating.
- Receiving letters in your name from solicitors or debt collectors for debts that aren’t yours.
- Request a copy of your credit file to check for any suspicious credit applications.
- Report the theft of personal information and suspicious credit applications to the police and ask for a crime reference number.
- If fraud has been committed, contact Action Fraud.
If you are concerned about an email, we recommend that you don't click on any links, open any documents or reply to it until you have looked into it further.
Official emails relating to this theft will be sent from: [email protected]. You should hover over the sent email address to confirm this is where the email has been sent from before clicking on it.
British Airways will never proactively contact you to request your personal or confidential information. If you ever receive an email or call, claiming to be from us, requesting this information, please report it to us straight away.
We've put the details of the scams we're aware of on our ba.com website security page. There's also security essentials information to help you, along with details of how to report any new scams to us (or other emails/calls that have concerned you).
Will I be reimbursed?
We take the protection of our customers’ data seriously and are very sorry for the concern that this criminal activity has caused.
We will continue to keep our customers updated with the very latest information.
No customer will be out of pocket as a direct result of the criminal theft of data from ba.com and the airline’s mobile app. Any customer who made a booking between 22:58 BST August 21 2018 and 21:45 BST September 5 2018 will be reimbursed for any fraudulent activity on their accounts as a direct result of the data theft and we shall advise the process for this in due course.
We will be offering a 12-month credit rating monitoring service to any affected customer who is concerned about an impact to their credit rating, provided by specialists in the field and will share details of this in the near future.
Will BA pay for costs associated with getting new cards, e.g. postage costs?
No customer will be out of pocket as a direct result of the criminal theft of data from ba.com and the airline’s mobile app. We are working through the process and will update our customers as soon as we can.
How do I reset my ba.com password?
ba.com and Executive Club accounts have not been compromised and your login details are safe.
However, if you’d like to change your password, first ensure you are logged out of ba.com and click the Forgotten Pin/Password link on the top right-hand corner of the homepage. We recommend you choose a unique password that you do not use for any other online account.
We are aware of some customers experiencing intermittent issues when attempting to reset their passwords. We are working on resolving this as quickly as possible.
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How does this affect my bookings?
What shall I do if I am due to travel today?
The incident has been resolved and all systems are working normally so customers due to travel can check-in online as normal.
Will I still be able to check in?
Yes, all customers booked on our flights will be able to check in as normal.
Will this affect any future bookings?
The incident has been resolved and ba.com is working normally so future bookings will not be affected.
Will bookings made over the period of this incident remain confirmed?
Yes, all bookings made remain valid for travel.
If I cancelled the card my booking was made with what do I need to bring to the airport?
The payment card that was used to pay for the booking should be brought to the airport if you are the owner of the card and are travelling. However, if the payment card has expired since the booking was made and you have a new card, or you don't have the original card used for payment, please print out a copy of your flight itinerary from Manage my Booking.
I have now cancelled my credit card, but I had used that card to make a future flight booking, so how will I be able to access that booking?
You do not need to enter your payment card details when retrieving an existing booking via Manage My Booking on ba.com, so access to future booking is not restricted due to the cancellation of the payment card.
We deeply apologise for any worry and inconvenience this criminal activity has caused. For your reassurance, we’re offering you 12 months of free credit and identity monitoring services, provided by Experian, one of the UK’s leading Credit Reference agencies.
Your free ProtectMyID membership
To help you to monitor your personal information for certain signs of potential identity theft, we are offering you a free 12 month membership to Experian ProtectMyID. This service helps detect possible misuse of your personal data and provides you with identity monitoring support, focussed on the identification and resolution of identity theft.
Activating your free ProtectMyID membership
1. Ensure that you sign up for the service by 12 December 2018. Your code expires after this date.
2. Visit the ProtectMyID website to get started.
3. Click on ‘Join ProtectMyID’ (top right-hand side).
4. Enter your details along with the following activation code: XXXXXXXX
This code is unique to you and only available in this email – please keep this email for reference.
Once your membership is activated, you’ll have access to the following features:
1. Unlimited access to your Experian Credit Report.
2. Credit Alerting – an email or text to let you know when certain changes happen on your Experian Credit Report, such as the addition of a new credit search.
3. Access to an Identity Theft Resolution service if you do become a victim of fraud, where you’ll have a dedicated case worker who will support you in resolving fraud that has occurred.
4. If you are at higher risk of fraud, Experian can add protective Cifas registration to your credit report which can help prevent credit being taken in your name. The Cifas Protective Registration service places a flag alongside your name and personal details in the National Fraud Database. Companies and organisations who are signed up as members of the database will see you’re at risk and take extra steps to protect you.
If you have any questions regarding this service, then please contact Experian’s Customer Support Centre on 03444 818182*. They are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm and Saturday, 9am to 5pm.
Your free ProtectMyID membership
To help you to monitor your personal information for certain signs of potential identity theft, we are offering you a free 12 month membership to Experian ProtectMyID. This service helps detect possible misuse of your personal data and provides you with identity monitoring support, focussed on the identification and resolution of identity theft.
Activating your free ProtectMyID membership
1. Ensure that you sign up for the service by 12 December 2018. Your code expires after this date.
2. Visit the ProtectMyID website to get started.
3. Click on ‘Join ProtectMyID’ (top right-hand side).
4. Enter your details along with the following activation code: XXXXXXXX
This code is unique to you and only available in this email – please keep this email for reference.
Once your membership is activated, you’ll have access to the following features:
1. Unlimited access to your Experian Credit Report.
2. Credit Alerting – an email or text to let you know when certain changes happen on your Experian Credit Report, such as the addition of a new credit search.
3. Access to an Identity Theft Resolution service if you do become a victim of fraud, where you’ll have a dedicated case worker who will support you in resolving fraud that has occurred.
4. If you are at higher risk of fraud, Experian can add protective Cifas registration to your credit report which can help prevent credit being taken in your name. The Cifas Protective Registration service places a flag alongside your name and personal details in the National Fraud Database. Companies and organisations who are signed up as members of the database will see you’re at risk and take extra steps to protect you.
If you have any questions regarding this service, then please contact Experian’s Customer Support Centre on 03444 818182*. They are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm and Saturday, 9am to 5pm.
BA Investigating Theft of Personal and Financial Data
Sep 6, 2018, 4:12 pm
#151
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,821
I am - as some of you can imagine - quite impacted by this since the number of transactions on my cards runs into multiple dozens. I did get to speak to Amex and in my case they did suggest a new card and new number, since there was an attempt at authorization of a small amount of money, not followed through with an actual transaction.
I also have a Euro denominated credit card, issued by my Irish bank, and getting that replaced will be non trivial - they try to replace cards with couriers and unless I am at home for a week it's just non viable. I also need that card for ticket machine and entertainment bookings I've made with it. So I've written to BA saying that until I get home for a week (which won't be until November at the earliest) then I'm holding them liable for their incompetence - hopefully unlikely to transpire.
I'm annoyed about this. I go to some length to protect my data and cards, and I expect an organisation as large as BA to have at least the same level of protection as Jedburgh Fish and Chip shop. It seems otherwise.
I also have a Euro denominated credit card, issued by my Irish bank, and getting that replaced will be non trivial - they try to replace cards with couriers and unless I am at home for a week it's just non viable. I also need that card for ticket machine and entertainment bookings I've made with it. So I've written to BA saying that until I get home for a week (which won't be until November at the earliest) then I'm holding them liable for their incompetence - hopefully unlikely to transpire.
I'm annoyed about this. I go to some length to protect my data and cards, and I expect an organisation as large as BA to have at least the same level of protection as Jedburgh Fish and Chip shop. It seems otherwise.
Sep 6, 2018, 4:16 pm
#152
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: ±38,000 feet
Programs: LH HON, BA GGL, AF Plat, EK Plat
Posts: 6,428
I am - as some of you can imagine - quite impacted by this since the number of transactions on my cards runs into multiple dozens. I did get to speak to Amex and in my case they did suggest a new card and new number, since there was an attempt at authorization of a small amount of money, not followed through with an actual transaction.
I also have a Euro denominated credit card, issued by my Irish bank, and getting that replaced will be non trivial - they try to replace cards with couriers and unless I am at home for a week it's just non viable. I also need that card for ticket machine and entertainment bookings I've made with it. So I've written to BA saying that until I get home for a week (which won't be until November at the earliest) then I'm holding them liable for their incompetence - hopefully unlikely to transpire.
I'm annoyed about this. I go to some length to protect my data and cards, and I expect an organisation as large as BA to have at least the same level of protection as Jedburgh Fish and Chip shop. It seems otherwise.
I also have a Euro denominated credit card, issued by my Irish bank, and getting that replaced will be non trivial - they try to replace cards with couriers and unless I am at home for a week it's just non viable. I also need that card for ticket machine and entertainment bookings I've made with it. So I've written to BA saying that until I get home for a week (which won't be until November at the earliest) then I'm holding them liable for their incompetence - hopefully unlikely to transpire.
I'm annoyed about this. I go to some length to protect my data and cards, and I expect an organisation as large as BA to have at least the same level of protection as Jedburgh Fish and Chip shop. It seems otherwise.
As a side note, I have not seen you this annoyed on FT before
Sep 6, 2018, 4:28 pm
#153
Join Date: Oct 2016
Programs: Executive Club
Posts: 22
stored cards, BA holidays probably ok
flight only, POU, change booking, seating, baggage etc. With typed cards details at risk.
paypal - not sure. I think probably ok, as it avoids the BA payment services.
Sep 6, 2018, 4:31 pm
#154
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: BCT. Formerly known as attorney28
Programs: LH HON,BA GGL GfL,Hyatt LT Glob,Mrtt LT P,Hilt LT D,IC Amb,Acc P,GHA Tit,LHW Strlg,Sixt/Av/Hz D/Pres
Posts: 6,826
I booked twice in the period. Annoying. I guess I'll have to get in touch with my cc company.
Sep 6, 2018, 4:32 pm
#155
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold, Hotels.com Gold
Posts: 576
edit and in the last few minutes...
Would be very interested to see the email contents if anyone has received anything.
Sep 6, 2018, 4:34 pm
#157
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Northern Ireland
Programs: BA Silver, A3
Posts: 1,101
Me too. It came from a fly.ba.com address and contained some logos and strap lines but no information.
I also tried to change my password, twice, and it came back with " Sorry, the PIN you have entered has not been recognised. Please enter your existing PIN and submit. "
What PIN is this? I very carefully typed in the old and new password and it said that was successful. Then came the other error message.
I also tried to change my password, twice, and it came back with " Sorry, the PIN you have entered has not been recognised. Please enter your existing PIN and submit. "
What PIN is this? I very carefully typed in the old and new password and it said that was successful. Then came the other error message.
Sep 6, 2018, 4:35 pm
#158
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 698
I made no bookings during that time so not affected.
I wish BA made clear what information was compromised. They say 'personal and financial'. So credit card stuff?? Ok, I understand.
If only that, then why do they later talk about changing passwords? Why not mention that at the beginning too.
I wish BA made clear what information was compromised. They say 'personal and financial'. So credit card stuff?? Ok, I understand.
If only that, then why do they later talk about changing passwords? Why not mention that at the beginning too.
Sep 6, 2018, 4:35 pm
#159
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold, Hotels.com Gold
Posts: 576
I also tried to change my password, twice, and it came back with " Sorry, the PIN you have entered has not been recognised. Please enter your existing PIN and submit. "
What PIN is this? I very carefully typed in the old and new password and it said that was successful. Then came the other error message.
What PIN is this? I very carefully typed in the old and new password and it said that was successful. Then came the other error message.
Sep 6, 2018, 4:40 pm
#160
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Flatland
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold 1MM, BA Gold, UA Peon
Posts: 6,111
Attack: Depends if it was intercepting data submitted by customers (near the frontend - altering the website design and active content (Javascript, etc) or compromising the webserver; or data processed and stored inside BA - compromising the backend services that receive data from the customer, process the reservation (availability checking, ticketing, charging, etc)).
BA Systems: Depends if BA store data for each transaction and essentially just retrieve your saved details and fill them in for you, saving a new separate copy of details for each transaction; or if they have one copy of your saved details and just link to them instead of retrieving them and re-storing them. I think they do the former because of how changes to your stored details do not update existing reservations, and there are good reasons to do this too (such as if you update your stored card details but paid with the previous card for some current reservations). It's what I would do to keep things simple and flexible, and I've been working on such systems for over a decade now.
So, BA are (probably) retrieving your stored details and storing them again separately each time you make a booking. An attack near the front end (such as altering the web design to send your details to a malefactor as well as to BA) would not capture the stored details as they are retrieved and filled in to the current reservation by the backend. The reports of stored cards being compromised implies a back-end system compromise by BA, such that when data is processed and stored to make a new reservation that data was also stolen. An example of this is modifying the payment processing part of the system to record card details, then exfiltrating those card details later (the basis of several large-scale hacks in the past few years).
Short answer: in this case saved and newly-entered details are probably equally vulnerable.
You can, and for simplicity should, store other customer information separately. So in BA's case you store the itinerary, ticket number, FF number, status, meals, etc, etc, in a different system from the payment information. This minimises your PCI DSS system scope, your PCI regulatory workload, and your PCI data attack surface. The most extreme example of this is people who reduce their PCI DSS scope to zero by redirecting payments to an external service such as PayPal or Worldpay so they never handle card data. BA, obviously, handles it in-house so they have some greater PCI scope but it should still be minimised.
From what I’ve heard so far, and this isn’t official, it
sounds like a “man in the middle” attack where the card details AND CVV are intercepted as the transaction is actually being made. This shouldn’t be possible if PCI compliance is implemented correctly end to end,
sounds like a “man in the middle” attack where the card details AND CVV are intercepted as the transaction is actually being made. This shouldn’t be possible if PCI compliance is implemented correctly end to end,
Sep 6, 2018, 4:43 pm
#161
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,540
Another “affected, away, and annoyed” here 
Sep 6, 2018, 4:46 pm
#162
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: London
Programs: BAEC Gold, Le Club Platinum, SPG Gold, SLH Honoured
Posts: 38
Doesn't seem well publicised, but on twitter they are saying some over the phone transactions are affected as well. 
Looks like some call center bookings are affected too... Like me. Bugger, an absolute PITA.
Looks like some call center bookings are affected too... Like me. Bugger, an absolute PITA.
Sep 6, 2018, 4:48 pm
#163
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: London
Programs: BA GGL (for now) and Lifetime Gold, Marriott fan thanks to Bonvoy Moments
Posts: 5,115
Actually I think those that used stored cards will be safer. The card details aren’t inputted, just tokenised details. So I expect that those that used stored cards will be ok.
stored cards, BA holidays probably ok
flight only, POU, change booking, seating, baggage etc. With typed cards details at risk.
paypal - not sure. I think probably ok, as it avoids the BA payment services.
Sep 6, 2018, 4:49 pm
#164
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Netherlands
Programs: BA Gold; Flying Blue Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 481
Just to help assist with some of the questions people have had:
1) If the numbers are correct, 380K transactions affected in 15 days, then this is a small fraction of the number of transactions that BA processes in that time. This will likely be on a specific channel or a specific scenario, rather than their whole platform being breached.
2) Often in these cases, the company where the breach has occurred don't actually know about it until the card issuers or card schemes start piecing together abnormal behaviour and link the last "normal" transaction back to the breached company. BA will likely have been notified by a financial institution and then start trying to detect where the issue lay on their end. The fraudsters will unlikely try and use the cards on BA's site, but instead do what CWS experienced which is card test the cards they've stolen by attempting multiple small transactions, which will authorise but often get reversed/not settled to see if the card is still active before making a much larger purchase elsewhere. We would have heard by now is this was linked to a hack on accounts. As someone already mentioned, it's unlikely stored cards would be impacted. These will usually be encrypted fairly well under PCI-DSS standard. So it's more likely to be cards where the details were inputted at the time of the transaction being made
3) Those with an AMEX card - personally I wouldn't cancel my card as a preventative measure. AMEX will monitor and accept any fraudulent claims by card holders. They will usually credit the account immediately should you spot fraudulent attempts. Of course, if they suggest you cancel and get a new card sent, then I'd probably go with that advice.
1) If the numbers are correct, 380K transactions affected in 15 days, then this is a small fraction of the number of transactions that BA processes in that time. This will likely be on a specific channel or a specific scenario, rather than their whole platform being breached.
2) Often in these cases, the company where the breach has occurred don't actually know about it until the card issuers or card schemes start piecing together abnormal behaviour and link the last "normal" transaction back to the breached company. BA will likely have been notified by a financial institution and then start trying to detect where the issue lay on their end. The fraudsters will unlikely try and use the cards on BA's site, but instead do what CWS experienced which is card test the cards they've stolen by attempting multiple small transactions, which will authorise but often get reversed/not settled to see if the card is still active before making a much larger purchase elsewhere. We would have heard by now is this was linked to a hack on accounts. As someone already mentioned, it's unlikely stored cards would be impacted. These will usually be encrypted fairly well under PCI-DSS standard. So it's more likely to be cards where the details were inputted at the time of the transaction being made
3) Those with an AMEX card - personally I wouldn't cancel my card as a preventative measure. AMEX will monitor and accept any fraudulent claims by card holders. They will usually credit the account immediately should you spot fraudulent attempts. Of course, if they suggest you cancel and get a new card sent, then I'd probably go with that advice.
Sep 6, 2018, 4:50 pm
#165
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Northern Ireland
Programs: BA Silver, A3
Posts: 1,101
*As mentioned earlier would people not post erroneous messages like "I wasn't affected". This is a serious issue and those of us potentially affected simply want to read useful information.