Reports: AA & Sabre Among Possible China Hacking Targets
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NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Fort Worth-based American Airlines and Sabre, a company that processes airline reservations, may have both been victims of China-based hackers.
The companies join a list of American health insurers and U.S. military and intelligence agencies that may have had their databanks compromised. While Sabre Corp. has confirmed that its systems were breached, officials with American Airlines Group Inc. say they are investigating whether hackers gained access to their computers.
On Friday, an American Airlines spokesperson said, "There is... no evidence that customer data may have been compromised."
Sabre issued the following statement:
"Like most technology companies, Sabre experiences cyber security incidents. We recently learned of a cyber security incident, and we are conducting an investigation into it now. At this time, we are not aware that this incident has compromised sensitive protected information, such as credit card data or personally identifiable information, but our investigation is ongoing. We are committed to protecting sensitive information, and we are being assisted by experts that specialize in cyber security. We will share additional information as appropriate."
Sources say, the hackers' alleged attempts to gain air travel information could have been part of a broader scheme to gather sensitive intelligence information on key individuals. If the attacks are linked the combined information about government employees and air travel information could allow hackers to track where those employees have been around the world and for how long.
In response to the many threats it faces, the U.S. in April announced changes to existing policies that will make it easier for the government to respond to attacks.
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