《TAIPEI TIMES》 Cathay Pacific slammed over data leak delay

NOT ENOUGH: While the company said there was no evidence that any of the data had been misused, lawmakers asked how it could prove that was true

/ AFP, HONG KONG

Cathay Pacific came under pressure yesterday to explain why it had taken five months to admit it had been hacked and compromised the data of 9.4 million customers, including passport numbers and credit card details.

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The airline on Wednesday said it had discovered suspicious activity on its network in March and confirmed unauthorized access to certain personal data in early May.

However, chief customer and commercial officer Paul Loo （盧家培） said officials wanted to have an accurate grasp on the situation before making an announcement and did not wish to “create unnecessary panic.”

News of the leak sent shares in Cathay, which was already under pressure as it struggles for customers, plunging yesterday to more than 6 percent to a nine-year low in Hong Kong trading.

Local politicians slammed the carrier, saying its response had only fueled worries.

“Whether the panic is necessary or not is not for them to decide, it is for the victim to decide. This is not a good explanation at all to justify the delay,” Legislator Charles Mok （莫乃光） said.

Legislator Elizabeth Quat （葛珮帆） said the delay was “unacceptable,” as it meant customers missed five months of opportunities to take steps to safeguard their personal data.

The airline admitted about 860,000 passport numbers, 245,000 Hong Kong identity card numbers, 403 expired credit card numbers and 27 credit card numbers with no card verification value were accessed.

Other compromised passenger data included nationalities, dates of births, telephone numbers, e-mail and physical addresses.

“We have no evidence that any personal data has been misused. No one’s travel or loyalty profile was accessed in full, and no passwords were compromised,” chief executive Rupert Hogg said in a statement on Wednesday.

However, Mok said the public needs to know how the company can prove that was the case.

“Such a statement doesn’t give people absolute confidence that we are completely safe, and it doesn’t mean that some of this data would not be misused later,” Mok said.

He also pointed out that the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation says any such breach should be reported within 72 hours.

Hong Kong Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Stephen Wong （黃繼兒） yesterday voiced “serious concern” over the breach.

He said his office would initiate a compliance check with the airline.

Cathay said it had launched an investigation and alerted the police after an ongoing IT operation revealed unauthorized access of systems containing the passenger data.

The company is in the process of contacting affected passengers and providing them with solutions to protect themselves, airline officials said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES