American Airlines, United Airlines, and Sabre Reservations Hit by China-Tied Hackers

It was just announced that United Airlines, Sabre Corp, and likely American Airlines, may have been hacked some time ago, probably at or near the same time that Anthem HealthCare and the OPM were hacked, according to folks knowledgeable of the cybersecurity probes.  Quite possibly, the hackers moved through the Sabre system into the American Airlines system, since they share some infrastructure.  The digital "fingerprints" of the hackers, while not identical in each of the systems, are close enough to say they were from the same group.  For example, hacker IP addresses in the American Airlines breach were the same as those in the government's Office of Personnel Management (OPM) hack.

Information stolen from Sabre included the reservation records on more than a billion travelers per year across the globe and may be combined with the United and American Airlines flight manifests and passenger info and the OPM breach data to blackmail executives and government officials or be used to determine behavior patterns or to detect military or intelligence operations.

Of course, the Chinese government disavows any knowledge or responsibility of the hacking, yet those in the cybersecurity industry say there is little doubt who is behind the recent massive data breaches.  Tony Lawrence, chief executive officer of VOR Technology, a Columbia, Maryland-based cybersecurity firm that works with U.S. defense agencies, calls them the bullies of cyberspace. "Everybody knows what they’re doing, but nobody can stop them."

Writer comment:  Readers, many years ago, when I first started in the identity theft arena, I predicted that it would soon be as necessary to have identity theft coverage as it is to have medical insurance.  Many chuckled at my prediction, but the breaches over the last year have confirmed that prediction, I truly believe.  If you do not have coverage, look at what LegalShield provides.  See my website IDSolutions.us for more information or to enroll.  If you have coverage by someone else, examine it closely -- what is really covered, and what will that company do to detect an exposure, and what will it do to restore your identity.  Nearly all but LegalShield only help you restore your identity (you do the work), whereas LegalShield says, "We will fix it", and backs that up with a $5million guarantee.
#IDTheft

Links to some articles on the subjects in my article:
American Airlines, Sabre Said to Be Hit in China-Tied Hacks
United Airlines Breach Linked to Chinese-Origin Hackers Behind OPM Cyber Attack


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