Vietnam Airlines responds to customer data breach

The airline also stated in its notice sent to its customers on Tuesday that the coordinated effort was aimed at assessing potential impact and containing further unauthorized access to its system.

According to its service provider, Vietnam Airlines is among several global companies using its services that have been affected by this incident.

A portion of the customer data on this platform was accessed without authorization, said the airline.

Some personal information may have been exposed, including full names, email addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, and Lotusmiles membership numbers.

However, data such as payment information, passwords, travel itineraries, Lotusmiles balances, and passport details remain secure.

Additionally, Vietnam Airlines’ internal IT systems were not affected.

To safeguard its customers’ personal data, the airline recommends changing the passwords of their Lotusmiles and associated email accounts, and staying alert to potential phishing attempts, suspicious emails or phone calls impersonating Vietnam Airlines.

Customers are also advised to avoid sharing information, one-time passcodes (OTPs), or login credentials with unverified sources.

“Vietnam Airlines sincerely regrets any concern this incident may have caused. We are committed to keeping potentially affected customers informed of relevant updates as the investigation continues,” according to the notice.

The breach comes amid growing concerns on cybersecurity forums where files allegedly containing the personal information of over 7.3 million Vietnam Airlines customers are being circulated.

The leaked data reportedly includes names, birthdates, emails, phone numbers, and addresses, said to be extracted from Salesforce, a widely used customer relationship management platform.

Some sources said that hackers may have compromised enterprise-level Salesforce accounts, stealing customer data from various companies worldwide, which is now being sold or shared online.

This marks the second major data breach Vietnam Airlines has faced.

On July 29, 2016, the airline’s systems were hacked, leading to the takeover of flight information display screens at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

The attack, which displayed politically charged messages, crippled dozens of servers, delayed nearly 100 flights, and exposed the data of over 410,000 frequent flyers, causing significant reputational damage as a result.