Cyberattack Disrupts Japan Airlines Operations During Peak Travel Season

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Tokyo,Japan: Japan Airlines (JAL) faced a significant cyberattack early Thursday morning, leading to widespread disruptions in flight operations and ticket sales during one of the busiest travel periods in Japan. The attack commenced at 7:24 a.m. JST, affecting critical systems that connect the airline's internal networks with external platforms, resulting in delays for both domestic and international flights.

As of 11:00 a.m., JAL reported that at least 24 domestic flights were delayed by over 30 minutes, with international flights also experiencing similar issues. The airline temporarily suspended ticket sales for all flights scheduled to depart on Thursday as it worked to address the situation. In a statement, JAL confirmed that they identified a malfunctioning router as the source of the disruption and took immediate action to disable it.

Despite the operational challenges, JAL reassured passengers that flight safety remained uncompromised. The airline emphasized that there was no customer data leakage or virus damage associated with the attack. In its latest update, JAL announced that ticket sales had resumed, although standby services for domestic flights would remain suspended.

This incident highlights ongoing concerns regarding cybersecurity vulnerabilities within the aviation sector. Just days prior, American Airlines experienced a separate technical issue that led to a temporary nationwide grounding of flights. The travel industry has increasingly become a target for cyber threats, with reports indicating that over 20% of all attack traffic requests last year were directed at this sector.

Local authorities are investigating the potential nature of the attack, with speculation around it being a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) incident. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi has directed the transport ministry to expedite recovery efforts and ensure affected passengers receive necessary accommodations.

As Japan Airlines works to restore normal operations, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the growing risks posed by cyberattacks in an increasingly interconnected digital landscape.

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