Hawaiian Airlines Hit by Cybersecurity Event, But Flights Remain Safe

Hawaiian Airlines has confirmed that it recently suffered a cyberattack, but the airline assures its customers that flights have not been affected. In an 8-K form filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Hawaiian Airlines disclosed a "security incident affecting certain information technology systems" on June 23, 2025.

The company responded swiftly to the incident by taking steps to safeguard operations and systems, bringing in external third-party cybersecurity experts to investigate the attack, and notifying relevant authorities about the incident. While details of the breach are still unknown at this time, security experts and media outlets are speculating that it may be the work of Scattered Spider, a hacking collective targeting US-based retailers.

Charles Carmakal, the CTO of Google's Mandiant Consulting security research arm, has weighed in on the incident, stating that it "bears the hallmarks" of the Scattered Spider threat actor. According to Carmakal, the airline and transportation sector have been targeted by this group before, and organizations can take proactive steps to harden their systems and defend against such intrusions.

"The actor's core tactics, techniques, and procedures have remained consistent," said Carmakal. "This means that organizations can take steps like training their help desk staff to enforce robust identity verification processes and deploying phishing-resistant MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) to defend against these intrusions."

Hawaiian Airlines has reassured its customers that flights are operating safely and as per schedule, with the company stating that it has not yet determined whether the incident is reasonably likely to materially impact its financial condition or results of operations. The fact that the airline did not take down its IT network suggests that this was not a ransomware attack.

As more details become available, it will be clear how this cybersecurity event affected Hawaiian Airlines and its customers. In the meantime, passengers can rest assured that their flights are safe, thanks to the swift action taken by the airline and external experts.

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