Event description

Hackers targeted Cloud Wings Airlines and gained access to the administrator account of one of its critical systems. After infiltrating the infrastructure, they altered the passenger name list (PNL), which is handed over to airport security before each flight. This allowed an illegal passenger to pass most of the standard checks and nearly board the plane.

The incident was uncovered by chance during boarding when a security officer noticed a mismatch between the information on the list and the pseudopassenger’s passport details. "That individual tried to stay under the radar, but ironically, it had the opposite effect," commented the officer. Further investigation revealed that the pseudopassenger used a fake document that did not match the altered information in the PNL. In fact, he was not allowed to travel abroad due to his access to classified information.

Security experts estimate the damage from the attack to be thousands of dollars, but it was Cloud Wings Airlines' reputation that suffered most, as the incident shattered customer trust and the international image of the airport.

Consequences

1. Deception of employees
2. Reputational damage