SAS App and Website Hit as Attacks Target Swedish Firms
Scandinavian airline SAS was hit by a cyber-attack yesterday that reportedly downed its website and app, and may have leaked customer information for a brief time.
According to reports cited by Reuters, customers were urged not to use the airline’s mobile app as they may be served incorrect information. Some users were apparently logged into the wrong accounts and therefore had access to the personal details of other customers.
The firm’s website was also reportedly downed for a time yesterday.
A link on the SAS “newsroom” tab purporting to describe a “cyber-attack against SAS” was broken at the time of writing, and the airline has studiously avoided providing any details via Twitter.
However, its Valentine’s Day marketing campaign was met with some ironic responses from customers.
The airline asked Twitter followers if they were “dreaming of a trip to the world’s most romantic city this Valentine’s Day?”
One replied, “Well I’m just dreaming of being able to actually book flights on your website or in the app at the moment,” sharing a screenshot of the downed app.
Another user also reported technical problems preventing them purchasing tickets with the company yesterday.
It’s unclear whether all of the reported issues have been resolved.
However, threat actors also targeted a number of Scandinavian media companies yesterday, including Swedish TV channel svt.
The DDoS attacks were claimed by a group describing itself as ‘Anonymous Sudan’ who said they were retaliating against a recent incident of Quran burning near Turkey’s embassy in Stockholm.
That incident, which is said to have been organized by a far-right politician with links to the Kremlin, has imperilled the country’s accession to NATO, as Turkey holds a veto.
That’s why experts cited by svt are claiming that the DDoS may be a Russian false-flag campaign designed to continue whipping up hatred towards Sweden in Muslim countries like Turkey.
Editorial credit icon image: NextNewMedia / Shutterstock.com
