Latest news with #WestJet
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Prolific cybercrime gang now targeting airlines and the transportation sector
Cybersecurity firms are warning that the prolific hacking group known as Scattered Spider is now targeting airlines and the transportation sector. Executives from Google's cybersecurity unit Mandiant and Palo Alto Networks' security research division Unit 42 say they have observed cyberattacks targeting the aviation industry resembling Scattered Spider. Scattered Spider is a collective of mostly English-speaking hackers, typically teenagers and young adults, who are financially motivated to steal and extort sensitive data from company networks. The hackers are also known for their deception tactics, which often rely on social engineering, phishing, and sometimes threats of violence toward company help desks and call centers to gain access to their networks. The warning comes as at least two airlines have reported intrusions this month. Hawaiian Airlines said late Thursday that it was working to secure its systems following a cyberattack. Canada's second largest airline, WestJet, reported a cyberattack on June 13 that remains ongoing and unresolved. Media reports have linked the WestJet incident to Scattered Spider. This fresh wave of Scattered Spider attacks comes soon after the cybercriminal gang targeted the U.K. retail sector and the insurance industry. The hackers have previously broken into hotel chains, casinos, and technology giants.
TechCrunch
18 hours ago
- Business
- TechCrunch
Prolific cybercrime gang now targeting airlines and the transportation sector
Cybersecurity firms are warning that the prolific hacking group known as Scattered Spider is now targeting airlines and the transportation sector. Executives from Google's cybersecurity unit Mandiant and Palo Alto Networks' security research division Unit 42 say they have observed cyberattacks targeting the aviation industry resembling Scattered Spider. Scattered Spider is a collective of mostly English-speaking hackers, typically teenagers and young adults, who are financially motivated to steal and extort sensitive data from company networks. The hackers are also known for their deception tactics, which often rely on social engineering, phishing, and sometimes threats of violence toward company help desks and call centers to gain access to their networks. The warning comes as at least two airlines have reported intrusions this month. Hawaiian Airlines said late Thursday that it was working to secure its systems following a cyberattack. Canada's second largest airline, WestJet, reported a cyberattack on June 13 that remains ongoing and unresolved. Media reports have linked the WestJet incident to Scattered Spider. This fresh wave of Scattered Spider attacks comes soon after the cybercriminal gang targeted the U.K. retail sector and the insurance industry. The hackers have previously broken into hotel chains, casinos, and technology giants.
Axios
20 hours ago
- Business
- Axios
Prolific cybercriminal group now targeting aviation, transportation companies
The notorious Scattered Spider hacking gang is now actively targeting the aviation and transportation sectors, cybersecurity firms warned on Friday. Why it matters: The group of mostly Western, English-speaking hackers has been on a months-long spree that's prompted operational disruptions at grocery suppliers, major retail storefronts and insurance companies in the U.S. and U.K. Driving the news: Hawaiian Airlines said Thursday it's addressing a "cybersecurity incident" that affected some of its IT systems. Canadian airline WestJet faced a similar incident last week that caused outages for some of its systems and mobile app. A source familiar with the incidents told Axios that Scattered Spider was likely behind the WestJet incident. Josh Yeats, a WestJet spokesperson, told Axios that the company has made "significant progress" to resolve the incident, but did not answer questions about Scattered Spider's possible involvement. What they're saying: Charles Carmakal, the chief technology officer at Google's Mandiant Consulting, said in an emailed statement that the company is "aware of multiple incidents in the airline and transportation sector which resemble the operations of UNC3944 or Scattered Spider." "We are still working on attribution and analysis, but given the habit of this actor to focus on a single sector we suggest that the industry take steps immediately to harden systems," Carmakal said. Palo Alto Networks also said they saw evidence of these hackers targeting the aviation sector. "Organizations should be on high alert for sophisticated and targeted social engineering attacks and suspicious MFA reset requests," Sam Rubin, senior vice president of consulting and threat intelligence at Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42, said on LinkedIn.
Global News
a day ago
- Health
- Global News
Prince Edward Island's chief public health office confirms two new cases of measles
Prince Edward Island is reporting two cases of measles in unvaccinated or partially vaccinated people. The Island's public health office says the infected individuals had visited a number of places since June 21, potentially exposing other people to the highly infectious virus. As a result, the province has produced a list of locations considered potential exposure sites. The 10 locations include the Charlottetown Airport on June 25 and West Jet flights the same day from Kamloops, B.C., to Calgary, and from Calgary to Charlottetown. Other locations on the Island include service stations in Stanley Bridge and Scotchfort, a chapel in Charlottetown and a number of retail outlets in Charlottetown and Morell. As of June 14, Health Canada was reporting 3,381 cases of measles across Canada since the beginning of the year. Ontario was reporting 2,186 cases and Alberta had 961 cases. The two provinces accounted for 93 cent of all cases. Story continues below advertisement 2:05 Rising measles cases could lead to more problems down the road Measles spreads through the air and close contact, such as breathing, coughing or sneezing — and it can cause a serious illness that may require admission to a hospital. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Symptoms include fever, coughing, runny nose, red eyes and a blotchy, red rash that appears three to seven days after the fever starts. Vaccination against measles is close to 100 per cent effective in preventing the disease. Health Canada says measles was eliminated in the country in 1998, but recent outbreaks in Alberta have been the most severe in almost 40 years. Across the country, 46 per cent of infections have been reported among those between the ages of 5 and 17, followed by those between the ages of 18 and 54 at 27 per cent. Meanwhile, Ontario reported its first death related to a measles outbreak on June 5. Ontario officials confirmed that a premature baby died after being infected in the womb of their unvaccinated mother. Story continues below advertisement On Wednesday, British Columbia Premier David Eby said the spread of measles is the predictable outcome of the 'recklessness' of anti-vaccination politicians. He told a Vancouver news conference that the focus for provincial public health authorities must be making sure people who are not protected receive vaccinations. 'I will encourage all British Columbians to ensure that they are vaccinated,' Eby said. 'Measles is no joke. It kills kids. It's a preventable disease, and we don't want that to be the story of the summer for our province.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
2 cases of measles confirmed in P.E.I., with many public exposure sites listed
Two new cases of measles have been confirmed in Prince Edward Island, with the people involved unrelated to each other and linked to possible public exposure sites, the province's Chief Public Health Officer says. In a news release issued late Thursday afternoon, the CPHO said the individuals were "unvaccinated or partially vaccinated." The news release listed the following public exposure sites: R&A (RaceTrac) service station, 9967 Route 6, Stanley Bridge: Saturday, June 21, between 1 and 4 p.m. Charlottetown Bible Chapel, 35 Lincolnwood Dr., Charlottetown: Sunday, June 22, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.; and Sunday, June 22, between 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. HomeSense, 1-202 Buchanan Dr, Charlottetown: Sunday, June 22, between 6 and 8:30 p.m. Morell Co-op, 7690 St Peters Rd., Morell: Monday, June 23, between 10 a.m and 1 p.m. Adams Chiropractic, 100 Capital Dr., Charlottetown: Monday, June 23, between 4 and 6:30 p.m. Princess Auto, 15 Saint Dunstan St., Charlottetown: Monday, June 23, between 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Ultramar Gas Station, 11302 St Peters Rd., Scotchfort: Monday, June 23, between 5 and 8 p.m. WestJet flight 3540 from Kamloops, B.C. to Calgary: Wednesday, June 25 (departed at 5:50 a.m.) West Jet flight 630 from Calgary to Charlottetown: Wednesday, June 25 (departed at approximately 8:50 a.m.; landed around 4 p.m.) Charlottetown Airport: Wednesday, June 25, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Until Thursday, the Island had not recorded any new cases of measles since April. At that time, Health P.E.I. confirmed two infections — the province's first reported instances of the disease since 2013 — but said no public exposure sites had been identified. The two adults who tested positive in April had travelled together to an area in Canada where there were outbreaks, the CPHO said. Health officials ask that people reach out to the CPHO if they and/or a depedent was on June 25 flight or at one of the exposure locations during the times specified, and any of the following apply: They are not protected against measles and are pregnant; They are under one year old; They are immunocompromised (even if they are vaccinated). Islanders can reach the Chief Public Health Office by emailing outbreak@ or calling 1-800-958-6400 to arrange for post-exposure treatment. People are asked to provide their full name, date of birth, contact information and location at which they were exposed. Anyone who is not immune to the disease from a past case or vaccine, and has been at one of the identified exposure locations, must stay away from public settings during the contagious stage, the CPHO said. The exclusion period begins five days after the last known exposure to measles and ends 16 days after the start of the exclusion period. Public settings include schools, childcare facilities, post-secondary institutions, workplaces and any other public or group environment. The measles vaccine is part of the province's childhood vaccine program, administered at 12 months and again at 18 months. The CPHO's current recommendations for vaccination are as follows: Adults born before 1970 are considered to have acquired natural immunity and do not require the vaccine. Anyone travelling outside of Canada should receive one dose of measles vaccine. Adults born in or after 1970 who have neither had measles nor received two doses of vaccine should receive two doses. Regardless of age, students entering post-secondary education, health-care workers and military personnel should receive two doses if they have no evidence of having had measles and no documentation of having received two doses of the vaccine. Symptoms of measles include fever, cough, sore eyes and a red rash that begins on the head and spreads down to the trunk and limbs. Serious complications can occur, such as blindness, viral meningitis or pneumonia — or even death, as was the case recently for two unvaccinated children in Texas. The measles virus spreads through the air when a person who is infected breathes, coughs, sneezes or talks. It may also spread through direct contact with droplets from the nose and throat of a person who is infected, according to the CPHO. The measles virus can stay in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours after a person who is infected has left the space. Someone with measles is contagious for four days before the rash is noticeable, and for up to four days after the rash occurs. If you or your family members develop symptoms described above from now until 21 days after being at one of the listed exposure sites on P.E.I.: Consult a health-care provider as soon as possible. Avoid being in contact with other people, specifically people considered at high risk: children under the age of 12 months, pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals. Wear a mask if you leave your household. Avoid taking public transportation to get to your medical appointment. Inform your health-care provider and health-care facility that you have been in contact with a measles case before presenting yourself for your appointment so that appropriate measures can be taken to prevent spreading the disease to others.
