Media ININ Economy We Trust
Media IN Abu Dhabi: 8th-07-2019
British Airways, owned by International Airlines Group (IAG), said on Monday the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) plans to impose GBP 183.4 million ($229.8 million) in a penalty on the airline for the theft of customer data on its security systems, BBC reported.
“We intend to take all appropriate steps to defend the airline’s position vigorously, including making any necessary appeals,” chairman and chief executive of British Airways Alex Cruz.
Accordingly, the UK-based carrier has 28 days to appeal, BBC added.
“British Airways responded quickly to a criminal act to steal customers’ data. We have found no evidence of fraud/fraudulent activity on accounts linked to the theft,” Cruz added.
A hack that lasted from Aug. 21 through Sept. 5 last year affected at least 380,000 transactions, IAG has said previously, with intruders vacuuming up account numbers and personal information of customers making flight reservations from BA’s website and its mobile app.
ICO unveiled that it will impose a penalty of 1.5% of the airline’s turnover for 2017, which is the biggest penalty it had ever penalised and the first to be made public under new rules.
In September 2018, the airline announced hundreds of thousands of its customers have been exposed to a cyber-attack in which their credit card details were stolen.
