At the 438th meeting of the BACA Council it was reported that an increasing number of European brokers and operators have been the victims of cyber attacks. It appears that a very sophisticated criminal community is targeting the business aviation sector and hacked into broker and operator internal communications systems for access to bank accounts and trading information. The attacks have taken place throughout the UK and Europe.
BACA understands that while this has been a problem for some time, the escalation of attacks in recent months has been quite alarming. This seems to be a co-ordinated campaign targeting business aviation operators and brokers for significant sums of money. In some incidences the attacks have originated through the use of the email and system accounts of current or recently departed employees. It is BACA’s intention to alert members to the threat and emphasise the importance of security of company websites, communications and payment systems.
BACA Chairman Richard Mumford comments "The number of cyber attacks we have heard about has risen quite dramatically. BACA advises members and non-members to be extremely vigilant and monitor all transactions, internally and externally, at all times. The Council has been advised that some companies were targeted using the communication accounts of recently departed employees. Prevention is better than cure and therefore we have decided to issue this alert. To underline the importance of this BACA is planning to run a symposium/training day to alert brokers and operators to the risks, encourage the exchange of experiences and ideas, and to help formulate steps that can be taken to minimise the chances of cyber attacks."
BACA - The Worldwide Association of Air Charter Professionals is the world’s largest air charter organisation. Formed in 1949 and closely associated with the Baltic Exchange, BACA delivers a wide range of aviation expertise throughout the air charter industry. The Associations purpose is to ensure that all companies involved in aircraft chartering meet high standards of integrity and professionalism. With corporate membership now in excess of 200 companies, BACA is recognised as the voice of the air charter industry by many official aviation bodies and government departments. Its members include air charter brokers, aircraft operators, airports, handling agents and many other aviation related companies. BACA member companies generated €4.2BN Turnover in 2014 and operated 126,000 flights using 1152 airports, connecting 146 countries and over 25,000 city pairs around the world. BACA Member companies employ 6,751 people. BACA also offers a series of training days and networking events for its members to enjoy throughout the year.
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