Allied Pilots Association, the pilot union of American Airlines with over 15,000 members, had some of its systems encrypted following a ransomware attack, which was initially discovered on Oct. 30, reports The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.
Investigation with third-party experts into the extent of the incident is underway, according to the APA, which noted that recovery efforts using backups have been progressing, enabling the accelerated resumption of some services.
"Once the initial restoration is in place, we will continue to restore additional services over the coming hours and days, placing a priority on pilot-facing products and tools. We are working diligently to be fully operational as soon as possible, while keeping the security of our systems front and center," said the union.
Such an incident follows a recent string of cyberattacks against the aviation sector, with Boeing reporting an intrusion against its parts and distribution business, which has been claimed by the LockBit ransomware operation, and Air Canada and Air Europa disclosing separate ransomware attacks in September and October.
