WestJet has confirmed that personal information belonging to some passengers was stolen during a cyberattack earlier this year, prompting the airline to notify affected customers and offer them identity theft and monitoring services.
The airline identified suspicious activity on its systems on June 13, revealing that criminals had temporarily accessed some of its systems. Although credit and debit card numbers, along with user passwords, were not compromised, the stolen data varies by individual. The compromised information may include names, dates of birth, email addresses, mailing addresses, phone numbers, gender, and recent travel booking history, including booking numbers.
Critically, information about travel documents used by passengers, such as passports or other government-issued identification, may also have been compromised. WestJet is warning affected customers that the stolen information could be used for identity theft or fraud. In response to the breach, the airline is offering impacted individuals identity theft and monitoring services free of charge for 24 months.
The Office of Canada’s Privacy Commissioner has initiated an investigation into the incident, underscoring the seriousness of the breach and the need for WestJet to demonstrate its commitment to protecting customer data.
