Financial details of 3,80,000 customers hacked: British Airways
London, Sep 7: British Airways (BA) on Friday admitted that personal and financial data of its nearly 3,80,000 customers who booked online on its website and mobile app has been compromised and is up for misuse.
Urging the customers to immediately contact their banks and credit card providers after their payment cards details were compromised, the airways said it was investigating the theft that happened between August 21 and September 5.
"We are investigating, as a matter of urgency, the theft of customer data from our website and our mobile app. The stolen data did not include travel or passport details," BA said in a statement.
"From 22:58 BST August 21 2018 until 21:45 BST September 5 2018 inclusive, the personal and financial details of customers making bookings on our website and app were compromised.
"The breach has been resolved and our website is working normally. We have notified the police and relevant authorities," the statement added.
Alex Cruz, BA Chairman and Chief Executive, on Friday promised compensation to the victims of the "malicious" attack.
The airways said if you believe you have been affected, please contact the bank or credit card provider and follow their recommended advice.
"We are deeply sorry for the disruption that this criminal activity has caused. We take the protection of our customers' data very seriously," BA said, adding the airways will be contacting affected customers directly to advise them of what has happened.
"Every customer affected will be fully reimbursed and we will pay for a credit checking service," said BA, urging the customers to change their passwords for login to its website and the mobile app.
This is not the first time the airways has been affected.
In July, nearly 7,000 passengers had their flights to or from Heathrow cancelled after a failure of an IT system provided to BA by Amadeus, a Spanish IT provider for global travel industry.
In May last year, a "power outage" triggered a collapse in the airline's information systems.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
