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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 8, 2018, 2:47 am
#586
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: RSE
Programs: AA Exp|VA Platinum
Posts: 15,504
If I booked a flight on BA with Expedia during the period has my data been compromised? I fairly certain that my cc details should be OK, but my DoB and name etc?
Sorry if this has been mentioned but it's not in the Wiki and there are 580 posts to trawl through.
Sorry if this has been mentioned but it's not in the Wiki and there are 580 posts to trawl through.
, answer. 
Sep 8, 2018, 3:02 am
#590
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 18,618
Sep 8, 2018, 3:08 am
#591
Fontaine d'honneur du Flyertalk
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Morbihan, France
Programs: Reine des Muccis de Pucci; Foreign Elitist (according to others)
Posts: 19,179
When an airport gets infested by rats, you don't blame rats for that. You blame the management.
Same with hackers. They are out there, period. Nothing BA could do would change that. But BA can very well control how well IT security is implemented, and obviously, it did not do a good job at that. I hope GDPR will result in huge fines to BA - because only hitting the bottom line will force the company to take IT security seriously, instead of outsourcing the IT to the lowest bidder.
Same with hackers. They are out there, period. Nothing BA could do would change that. But BA can very well control how well IT security is implemented, and obviously, it did not do a good job at that. I hope GDPR will result in huge fines to BA - because only hitting the bottom line will force the company to take IT security seriously, instead of outsourcing the IT to the lowest bidder.
So, yes I hold them very responsible for what has happened. As for fines and so on - it is far too early to start worrying about that. The first job is to see how many people have actually been compromised financially by the hackers accessing information received by BA during this period. We may never know as ID theft can take place long after.
What I do not intend to do is worry or feel embittered about this when I am not even out of pocket so far. I can only speak for myself, but there are things that concern me far more than possibilities of my data being out in the public domain. I have taken the steps deemed necessary by the banks and for my own peace of mind. I have spent my working life managing what presented itself. i do try to be fair minded even when affected myself. Far sadder am I for the people who trusted Premier FX who now have lost thousands. I feel for everyone who has had different levels of inconvenience with which to deal. I do hope that I am making myself clear. I am intensely irritated by BA's slovenliness that appears to have caused these people to hack through. What I ask myself is this, is any system hack-proof and how many others have happened about which we do not know?
Sep 8, 2018, 3:21 am
#592
Join Date: May 2006
Location: 5 miles from EMA
Programs: BD, BAEC Pleb, VS Pleb, Accor Pleb, HHonors Gold, Big White Season Pass
Posts: 5,904
Oaxaca, Paffendorf and others have nailed it
The thing that bothers me most is ID theft. The CC can be changed and that’s the end of it.
However, I can’t afford to have my credit rating compromised. I’m incandescent with BA for this, and right now I’m not sure if there’s anything that they can do to make this better.
The thing that bothers me most is ID theft. The CC can be changed and that’s the end of it.
However, I can’t afford to have my credit rating compromised. I’m incandescent with BA for this, and right now I’m not sure if there’s anything that they can do to make this better.
Sep 8, 2018, 3:36 am
#593
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,246
Sep 8, 2018, 3:46 am
#594
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Switzerland
Posts: 1,591
In Switzerland, I have a free (a rarity for this country) Coop SupercardPlus Mastercard. It does SMS me each time a purchase is made but it doesn't say where or how much, only "Your balance is now oner the amount you set" each time. Slightly disconcertingly, I got one yesterday while sitting at home not using my card, especially as I used that card to buy a flight in August - but before the date this hack supposedly started. But as the message doesn't say where it was used, how much was taken, or even when (sometimes there's a day's delay) I've just got to sit tight for 3-4 days until whatever payment it is clears "pending" and shows up on my online banking statement.
Although it technically makes no difference when I discover fraud (so long as I see it before I pay the balance, I can call up and get it investigated/removed) I much prefer the AmEx way. In fact, I use it now for all my UK expenditure precisely for this reason. And the Avios, but that's secondary as my spending is pretty low.
Last edited by adrianlondon; Sep 8, 2018 at 3:52 am
Sep 8, 2018, 4:27 am
#595
Join Date: May 2012
Programs: BA (Gold), Flying Blue (Gold), Virgin (Gold)
Posts: 96
That is not quite the same. I, for one do not go around proportioning blame - I consider responsibility and Duty of Care. BA are the ones who appear to have failed both - but just accepting that hackers are out there is not good enough. Were they not out there, none of this would have happened. We know that they are, and yet no one seems to be able to do anything about it. It is theft and it is criminal. I've had stuff stolen from my handbag inflight. Who is to blame? Me for leaving it where someone managed to find it, or someone for finding it, other crew members for not being more vigilant or British Airways for whom I was working? Being me, I blamed myself for allowing it to happen irrespective that I was elsewhere sorting out someone's passport problems.What I am trying to say is that I hold the person who committed this hack to bear the brunt of this as they have led the attack and I have not really read
So, yes I hold them very responsible for what has happened. As for fines and so on - it is far too early to start worrying about that. The first job is to see how many people have actually been compromised financially by the hackers accessing information received by BA during this period. We may never know as ID theft can take place long after.
What I do not intend to do is worry or feel embittered about this when I am not even out of pocket so far. I can only speak for myself, but there are things that concern me far more than possibilities of my data being out in the public domain. I have taken the steps deemed necessary by the banks and for my own peace of mind. I have spent my working life managing what presented itself. i do try to be fair minded even when affected myself. Far sadder am I for the people who trusted Premier FX who now have lost thousands. I feel for everyone who has had different levels of inconvenience with which to deal. I do hope that I am making myself clear. I am intensely irritated by BA's slovenliness that appears to have caused these people to hack through. What I ask myself is this, is any system hack-proof and how many others have happened about which we do not know?
So, yes I hold them very responsible for what has happened. As for fines and so on - it is far too early to start worrying about that. The first job is to see how many people have actually been compromised financially by the hackers accessing information received by BA during this period. We may never know as ID theft can take place long after.
What I do not intend to do is worry or feel embittered about this when I am not even out of pocket so far. I can only speak for myself, but there are things that concern me far more than possibilities of my data being out in the public domain. I have taken the steps deemed necessary by the banks and for my own peace of mind. I have spent my working life managing what presented itself. i do try to be fair minded even when affected myself. Far sadder am I for the people who trusted Premier FX who now have lost thousands. I feel for everyone who has had different levels of inconvenience with which to deal. I do hope that I am making myself clear. I am intensely irritated by BA's slovenliness that appears to have caused these people to hack through. What I ask myself is this, is any system hack-proof and how many others have happened about which we do not know?
Very disappointing.
Sep 8, 2018, 5:20 am
#596
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: Seniors Bus Pass
Posts: 5,530
As pointed out numerous times above, I suspect that there will be some use - possibly following a small test payment somewhere ... it is just when!
Nothing much we can do (normal bank checks etc) until more info becomes available about method. I am a little concerned (as I mentioned upthread) that it might have involved a live streaming intercept in some way [non-technical understanding of the process] as some purchases involve a "Verified by Visa" or "Mastercard Securecode" page with another password as part of the payment process and if that has been compromised it strikes me as more worrying than just the card and CVV details.
Sep 8, 2018, 5:42 am
#597
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Surrey, UK
Programs: BAEC Gold, Accor Plat
Posts: 156
Way back up thread I mentioned that I had received the first BA email (rec'd around 1.30am Friday). I had paid a deposit for a BA Holiday (cc info not stored).
Having read what was on the thread at that time I decided immediately to change my BAEC p/w (via forgotten p/w link) and cancel my BAPP (ie report as stolen on Amex website).
All my account info was transferred to a new Amex BAPP cc number when I checked my account later Friday morning.
Also on Friday I rec'd a comprehensive email from Amex about the situation
This morning (Saturday) my new Amex card arrived in the post.
The Amex service has been faultless.
Having read what was on the thread at that time I decided immediately to change my BAEC p/w (via forgotten p/w link) and cancel my BAPP (ie report as stolen on Amex website).
All my account info was transferred to a new Amex BAPP cc number when I checked my account later Friday morning.
Also on Friday I rec'd a comprehensive email from Amex about the situation
This morning (Saturday) my new Amex card arrived in the post.
The Amex service has been faultless.
Sep 8, 2018, 5:48 am
#598
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: London, ARN, HEL, ..... or MAN
Programs: BA GGL / GFL, Mucci Diamond!, HH Diamond, Radisson Premium, IHG Gold, Hertz Gold
Posts: 5,902
Clearly BA should have its IT security policy kept in-house, with the Head of Security reporting directly to the CIO, but my view is that outsourcing the delivery of IT security is very sensible, as along as the outsourced partner knows what they're doing. Permies who have been with a firm for 20 years in my experience can't keep up with the rapidly changing nature of IT security needs and legal requirements.
The reason I have been quite vocal on this thread is that I'm in IT web consultancy and my team recently delivered a major e-commerce solution, just as GDPR was about to land at the same time and as PCI DSS was being further tightened.
I went through the physical and logical design for PCI DSS for the new site (with the experts from my team) and I was impressed at the complexity of design that's needed to be PCI compliant nowadays. The downside is that doing it properly takes people who really know what they're doing and also it takes time and money (which is understandably frustrating for the client right up to the point where something like this happens). You can't use cheap outsourcers any more than you can use Joe in IT who's been there 20 years - you'll get caught out. If implemented properly, a man-in-the-middle attack truly shouldn't be able to happen, if it does it should be detectable within an hour, and the data captured should be unusable to the hackers anyway. That's just by following the law - we weren't protecting nuclear codes or anything like that.
For me, the CIO should have known that BA's IT security was deficient and should have ensured enough budget was made available to fix it (with reputable consultants) as it's a legal requirement. If they didn't know it was deficient, then they shouldn't be the CIO.
Sep 8, 2018, 5:51 am
#599
Join Date: Jul 2014
Programs: Mucci de l'Arbitrage
Posts: 927
With all the due respect, I'm more than upset for my personal data. Even if BA should give me lifetime gold status, I won't be happy since there's people (and which kind of people) with all my personal data for life.... I'm usually calm and quiet, but this cannot be forgiven at all.
period.
period.
There is so much information of that nature which can be found online already: have you ever bought a house, mortgaged it, applied to the local authority to add an extension to it, been on an electoral register etc?
Contrast it with the Nordics for example where all your personal data (including date of birth and income!) is publicly available online. No more identity theft than here is reported.
So while I am very concerned about ID theft in general, the BA situation has not added to my concern.
And given I am not worried about card fraud as I will be reimbursed for any such event, I can sleep soundly and not waste time calling cards companies, banks etc.
Side comment, why are people all wanting to suddenly change their BA.com password? This has not been communicated as having been accesses. Again, it is good practice to regularly change password but why specifically in that instance - BA has not even recommended to do so.
Sep 8, 2018, 5:58 am
#600
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Scotland
Programs: # Neodymium #
Posts: 968
Side comment, why are people all wanting to suddenly change their BA.com password? This has not been communicated as having been accesses. Again, it is good practice to regularly change password but why specifically in that instance - BA has not even recommended to do so.
Therefore, whilst there is no current mention of password compromise, it is not totally impossible for that estimate to be later updated.
So perhaps some users (including myself) see a password change as an easy thing to do, with nothing lost if the passwords were definitely not compromised.
Simple 'effort vs risk vs benefit' calculation.