(WASHINGTON EXAMINER) – American Airlines and Southwest Airlines staff were made aware Friday of a cybersecurity threat to them from earlier this year.
Both companies reported that a third-party vendor’s systems were infiltrated on April 30. The airlines were made aware on May 3 and began sending letters to affected staff Friday. The data breach contained the “name and Social Security number, driver’s license number, passport number, date of birth, Airman Certificate number, and other government-issued identification number(s)” of pilots and other staff. American reported 5,745 employees were affected, and Southwest reported 3,009.
It remains to be seen if the third-party vendor involved in the data breach of both airlines was the same company. Southwest Airlines’ law firm Norton Rose Fulbright did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.