Cathay Pacific Data Breach Affects 9.4 Million
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
Cathay Pacific announced on Wednesday that a data breach has affected 9.4 million of its customers.
The airline said it has not found any evidence that the customer information stolen has been misused yet. Data taken by the hackers includes passenger name, nationality, date of birth, phone number, email, address, passport number, identity card number, frequent flyer program membership number, customer service remarks and historical travel information.
Cathay Pacific also noted that a handful of credit card numbers were stolen: 27 credit card numbers with no CVV number were taken, along with 403 expired credit card numbers.
The combination of information taken from each passenger varies, the Hong Kong-based carrier noted in its statement. Cathay Pacific is reaching out to flyers whose data was stolen to alert them of the breach.
“We are in the process of contacting affected passengers, using multiple communications channels, and providing them with information on steps they can take to protect themselves,” Cathay Pacific CEO Rupert Hogg said in the release. “We have no evidence that any personal data has been misused. Noone’s travel or loyalty profile was accessed in full, and no passwords were compromised.”
The carrier says that as soon as it discovered the hack, it took “immediate action to investigate and contain the event.” The company apologized and said it would be beefing up its online security.
“We want to reassure our passengers that we took and continue to take measures to enhance our IT security,” Hogg added. “The safety and security of our passengers remains our top priority.” Police in Hong Kong and other authorities were alerted about the incident.
The hack did not affect flight safety because the IT system that was breached is completely different than the flight operations system.
Passengers who think they might have been affected by the breach can email the airline at infosecurity@cathaypacific.com or visit infosecurity.cathaypacific.com for more information.
Featured image by Frogman1484/Getty Images.
Sign-up Successful!
Welcome to The Points Guy!
WELCOME OFFER: 80,000 Points
TPG'S BONUS VALUATION*: $1,600
CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 3X points on dining and 2x points on travel, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. View our latest valuations here.
- Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Enjoy benefits such as a $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 80,000 points are worth $1,000 toward travel.
- With Pay Yourself Back℠, your points are worth 25% more during the current offer when you redeem them for statement credits against existing purchases in select, rotating categories
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.