Air Canada system briefly breached, customer info and flight ops unaffected

Canada's biggest airline says an unauthorized group briefly breached an internal system linked to the personal information and records of some employees. Air Canada logos are seen on the tails of planes at the airport in Montreal, Que., Monday, June 26, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Canada's biggest airline says an unauthorized group briefly breached an internal system linked to the personal information and records of some employees.

Air Canada says in a statement today that no customer information was accessed in the cyberattack.

The Montreal-based company says flight operation systems and public-facing platforms were unaffected.

It says it has contacted people whose information was involved and has notified relevant authorities.

With all systems now back in full swing, Air Canada says it has implemented further security upgrades to prevent future incidents.

The company is the latest to fall victim to the endless string of cyberattacks that have plagued Canadian companies, which so far this year range from Suncor Energy to grocery giant Empire.

The federal privacy commissioner's office says it has received a breach report from Air Canada, and is reviewing it to determine the next steps.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2023.