Hackers target Executive club members of British Airways

Being an executive customer at British Airways (BA) does not guarantee any better security from hackers. Thousands of executive customers found this out to their peril as BA confirmed the hacking of the accounts.

According to the company, it was not a direct attack on the central database; the attack was carried out on some account holders using information on the users available elsewhere on the internet. Also, the company maintained that only “a small number of frequent flyer Executive Club accounts” had been affected and though there has been some unauthorized activity, no sensitive information had been leaked.

Though the company said that the hackers had not gained any access to any subsequent information pages like travel histories or payment card details within accounts, BA Executive Club (BAEC) account holder have registered complaints on the forums saying that their Avios points have been stolen. Avios points are accumulated through frequent travel can be used for other flights or upgrades. Tier points have not been affected due to this hack.

One user wrote, “My Avios balance, which was 46,418 yesterday, is suddenly zero,” Another said, “217,000 taken from my account this morning. 30 minute hold on the silver line.”
Other people are also reporting they are unable to access their accounts at all, with their BAEC number not being recognized at all.The company responded saying that the accounts have been locked down from access as a response to the breach and all the points would be subsequently reinstated.

Some members of BAEC affected by the issue have received emails requesting change of passwords, for those who have not but still are locked out of the accounts can place a call to the customer care.

For customers wanting to book flights now, bookings as redemption of points might not be available pending resolution of the matter but still can be checked for availability.

Alternatively, one might, if the options are available try to book through Avios.com which has not been affected.

However, with so many cases, it is best to wait for a few days till the situation becomes clearer.