Japan Airlines Suffers Cyberattack, Causing Flight Delays; System Restored Back to Normal Later (UPDATE 2)

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:35 JST, December 26, 2024 (updated at 15:45 JST)

Japan Airlines Co. announced on Thursday that its network equipment suffered a cyberattack at about 7:24 a.m., causing malfunctions in communications with external systems.

The company identified the router, or network connection device, that was disabled by the attack and temporarily shut it down an hour and a half later. However, the baggage checking process was disrupted at airports nationwide.

According to JAL, domestic flights had been delayed for 30 minutes or more, and international flights were also delayed. The airline says that there has been no impact on the safety of its operations.

In the afternoon, JAL announced that the system had been returned to normal.

According to investigators, JAL consulted the Metropolitan Police Department on Thursday morning about a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, which paralyzes communication functions by sending massive amounts of data. The police will hear the details of the incident from the company and work to identify the attacker.

In the departure lobby of Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, which was crowded with winter vacationers, JAL’s automatic baggage check-in machines temporarily went offline, and passengers lined up at the counters to check the status of their flights.

A 41-year-old office worker from Hadano, Kanagawa Prefecture, who was planning to visit his family home in Kushiro, Hokkaido, said: “The airport is already crowded with people returning home, and now there’s been a cyberattack on top of that. I just hope my plane gets there in one piece.”