Hackers hit airlines in US, Canada as summer travel peaks

A notorious hacking group known as “Scattered Spider” has breached the networks of several airlines in the US and Canada this month, according to the FBI and cybersecurity experts.

Airlines across the United States and Canada are on high alert after a series of cyberattacks by a group known as “Scattered Spider,” the FBI confirmed Friday.

While airline operations and safety were not affected, the breaches have raised concerns across the aviation sector as the busy summer travel season ramps up.

The FBI said the hackers target large companies and their IT contractors, meaning airlines and their vendors could all be at risk. Once inside a network, the attackers steal sensitive data for extortion and often deploy ransomware, the agency warned.

Hawaiian Airlines and Canada’s WestJet both reported recent cyber incidents, though neither airline confirmed who was responsible. WestJet said its app and some internal systems were affected but stressed that flight operations remained normal.

Cybersecurity experts said the limited impact on airline operations reflects strong network separation and good business continuity planning.

Jeffrey Troy, head of the Aviation ISAC, a group tracking cyber threats in the industry, said attacks have increased across the entire aviation ecosystem. He pointed to growing risks from both financially motivated hackers and global geopolitical tensions.

Meanwhile, a separate unrelated IT outage on Friday caused some flight delays at American Airlines, highlighting the industry’s sensitivity to any system disruptions.

The FBI said it is working closely with airlines and aviation partners to investigate and mitigate the recent attacks.

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