• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Home » United Airlines » Cyberattacks Attempt To Cripple Airlines
Travel TechnologyUnited Airlines

Cyberattacks Attempt To Cripple Airlines

Matthew Klint Posted onDecember 22, 2021November 14, 2023 4 Comments

a person wearing a hoodie with a logo on it

As we saw over the summer with the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, hackers are constantly looking for cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Airlines remain a prime target, particularly with the new log4j loophole.

Airlines Hit With Barrage Of Attempted Log4j Cyberattacks

In a memo to employees, Linda Jojo, United’s Executive Vice President of Technology & Chief Digital Officer, shares that over the last 10 days, United’s cybersecurity team has detected and stop over 105,000 attempts to hack into United’s systems using the log4j vulnerability.

Log4j is a Java-based logging utility that helps applications keep track of their past activity. It was recently discovered that by inserting malicious code, log4j would essentially run with it, executing it in a manner which allowed servers to be infiltrated.

While such software vulnerabilities are fairly common, the ubiquitous nature of this software makes it a huge deal. Companies, governments, and platforms around the world rely on it, creating a particularly acute vulnerability.

As companies race to add patches, hackers race to break in. This even implicates international relations, as Iranian hackers have purportedly used log4j to attempt to penetrate critical networks in Israel.

In the case of United or other airlines, had hackers been successful they could have crippled operations by installing ransomware to extract cyber currency in exchange for unlocking systems or refusing to release personal informations mined from company servers.

United’s tech team has been working around the clock to add patches, risking a disruption during the busy travel season in order to avoid a potentially even more wide scale and expensive disruption. Jojo remarked that while such patches would normally not take place until after the holidays, United saw no alternative than to risk it.

The patches were a success, with 171 core systems updated over the weekend with only limited and short (3-4 minutes) disruptions to systems.

CONCLUSION

Cyberattacks are nothing new and hardly limited to airlines (indeed, even Live and Let’s Fly employees robust defenses to fend off thousands of attempted cyberattacks each day). Still, airlines have been left open to log4j attacks and United has worked around the clock to patch up its systems in order to avoid disruptions, data loss, or even a total takeover of critical operations.

Get Daily Updates

Join our mailing list for a daily summary of posts! We never sell your info.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Previous Article Miami Airport Chaos: Officer Pulls Gun On Passengers After Fierce Exchange
Next Article Man Leads Woman Onto Southwest Airlines Flight…On A Leash

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • an airplane with seats and seats

    Too Lit To Lift Off: Man Kicks Himself Off United Flight After Booze Denial

    June 14, 2025
  • United Airlines Blocking Air India Award Space

    United Airlines Blocking Air India Award Space

    June 14, 2025
  • United Airlines sourdough chili

    Beef Chili In A Sourdough Bowl: United Airlines Business Class (+ A Funny Story)

    June 13, 2025

4 Comments

  1. Brian G. Reply
    December 22, 2021 at 1:52 pm

    “United’s cybersecurity team has detected and stop over 105,000 attempts to hack into United’s systems using the log4j vulnerability.”

    People that work in cybersecurity love making statements like this implying this number of individuals try to breach their system. In reality, the vast majority of these were from bots scanning the internet for systems with the vulnerability and were not targeted at United.

  2. Jack Reply
    December 22, 2021 at 2:49 pm

    I think “ Java-based login utility” should be “ Java-based logging utility”?

    • chris Reply
      December 22, 2021 at 3:56 pm

      loggin’

    • Jorge Paez Reply
      December 22, 2021 at 4:03 pm

      LOL, sadly…..

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Hot Deals for June

Note: Please see my Advertiser Disclosure

Capital One Venture X Business Card
Earn 150,000 Miles Sign Up Bonus
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 100,000 Points
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles!
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles
Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Earn $750 Cash Back
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Earn 120,000 Membership Reward® Points

Recent Posts

  • Country Of Laws Not Kings
    A Country Of Laws, Not Kings June 14, 2025
  • an airplane with seats and seats
    Too Lit To Lift Off: Man Kicks Himself Off United Flight After Booze Denial June 14, 2025
  • Qantas Lounge Review Hong Kong
    Review: Qantas Lounge Hong Kong (HKG) June 14, 2025
  • United Airlines Blocking Air India Award Space
    United Airlines Blocking Air India Award Space June 14, 2025

Categories

Popular Posts

  • Qatar Airways Economy Class Breakfast
    Economy Class Breakfast On Qatar Airways June 7, 2025
  • Aegean Airlines Feast
    A Feast Fit For A King On Aegean Airlines May 23, 2025
  • Israel Flight Cancellations
    Major Carriers Extend Flight Cancellations To Israel: Here’s The List June 6, 2025
  • a group of people in blue uniforms
    United Airlines’ Uniforms Get A Facelift—And A Political Filter May 28, 2025

Archives

June 2025
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30  
« May    

As seen on:

facebook twitter instagram rss
Privacy Policy © Live and Let's Fly All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Live and Let's Fly with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.