Anthem Hackers Suspected In United Airlines Breach

The massive hack on the Office of Personnel Management stole plenty of recent headlines, with its widespread impact and concerns over just how it was able to go undetected for a full year.

Thankfully, a recent hack on United Airlines — which is believed to be the work of the same group of Chinese hackers — didn’t fly under the radar for quite as long. Investigators suspect Chinese hackers went after the world’s second-largest airline in May or early June, according to a Bloomberg report yesterday (July 29). That same group is also suspected of being behind the Anthem breach early this year, according to Bloomberg, which cited anonymous individuals who are said to be familiar with the matter.

The plunder from this attack reportedly includes information on passengers, origins and destinations. The reputation Chinese cybercriminals have for data heists precedes them, but it’s disquieting because this particular cache will allow them to identify key people working in defense and intelligence as well as payroll information on government contractors. Officials have reason to believe this could be Chinese government’s handiwork to blackmail government officials for secrets.

The United Airlines attack is a gateway to obtaining travel records of government officials, since the airline is one of the biggest government contractors. If it sounds alarming, that’s because it is. Last year, a Senate investigation revealed that hackers associated with the Chinese government were successful in 20 breaches, conducted between June 2012 to May 2013, into the systems of airline, shipping and IT companies who work with the U.S. military.

And this is nowhere near over. In the aftermath of the OPM attack, the National Security Agency warned of the probability of more attacks like these in the future.

“I don’t expect this to be a one-off,” Navy Admiral Michael Rogers said while speaking at the London Stock Exchange this month. “We are in a world now where, despite your best efforts, you must prepare and assume that you will be penetrated. It is not about if you will be penetrated, but when.”

And while United Airlines may not have been ready for this hack, it does appear to be beefing up its cybersecurity efforts, with a recent bug bounty operation having been conducted in May. The operation aims to expose vulnerabilities and flaws in a company’s Web security system. In United’s case, the hackers who participated earned frequent flyer miles in return.

“We believe that this program will further bolster our security and allow us to continue to provide excellent service,” United said on its website last month.

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