DATA BREACH IN AIRINDIA

DATA BREACH IN AIRINDIA

Subject : Current Events

Context : Recently, the national carrier Air India has notified its passengers of a data breach that occurred at the SITA passenger service system in February 2021.

Concept :

• Air India had said that SITA had flagged a cyber-attack and said it led to the leak of personal data of some of the airline’s passengers.
• The airline said that the cyber-attack that compromised the data of millions of passengers from across the world involved personal data registered between 2011 and 2021.
• It said the breached data included the passenger’s name, date of birth, contact information, passport information, ticket information, frequent flyer data and credit card information.

Relation between Air India and SITA

• SITA is a Switzerland-based technology company specializing in air transport communications and information technology.
• Air India had entered into a deal with SITA in 2017 to upgrade its IT infrastructure to enable it to join Star Alliance.
• At Air India, SITA also implemented an online booking engine, departure control system, check-in and automated boarding control, baggage reconciliation system and the frequent flyer programme.