India’s low-cost carrier Go First’s Twitter account was hacked on Monday. The incident came to light late evening after 8 pm when unauthorized posts surfaced on behalf of the airline. There were no reports of operations being affected, and an investigation is reportedly underway.
Unapproved posts
Go First was surprised to see unauthorized posts on its Twitter account on Monday evening. At around 8:25 pm, someone managed to gain access to the carrier’s Twitter account and posted messages such as “Amazing” and “Great Job.”
People were quick to notice the suspicious posts and a different profile image and name on the airline’s Twitter page. Go First is in touch with Twitter and working to find out how the account was compromised.
A spokesperson for the airline issued a statement, saying,
“All the concerned teams are investigating the matter to restore and gain control (of the account) at the earliest. Our team is working closely with Twitter to address the issue.”
The airline has more than 200,000 followers on Twitter, and the account had not been restored at the time of publishing this article.
Looks like @Twitter account of GoFIRST is hacked pic.twitter.com/N6KZfADA4N
— Ameya Joshi (@khabri_lal) January 24, 2022
Growing concerns
This isn’t the first time an Indian airline’s cybersecurity was breached. There have been instances in the past involving hackers compromising sensitive airline data and customer details.
In May last year, Air India’s servers were hacked in a major cyberattack, affecting more than 450,000 customers around the world. In a massive data breach, unknown hackers gained access to customer details such as credit card numbers and date of birth.
A year ago, news emerged that servers of India’s largest airline IndiGo were also hacked with fears of internal documents being released in the public domain. Thankfully, IndiGo could restore the systems shortly but not before hackers could access sensitive information.
Cyberattacks on airlines around the world are becoming alarmingly frequent. One of the biggest in recent times was in 2018, affecting Cathay Pacific. Hackers broke into the airline’s database server and pulled out personal details of around 9.4 million passengers, including passport numbers, emails, dates of birth, and travel history.
More recently, Iran’s Mahan Air reported a cyberattack in November last year, leaving travelers unable to access the carrier’s website. The airline successfully restored the network within hours without affecting operations in any significant way.
Go First now the 2nd biggest airline
Meanwhile, on Monday, another significant Twitter message, posted by a Bloomberg journalist, suggested that Go First has now become the 2nd largest airline in India by domestic market share.
Go First or GoAir has quietly turned into the second-largest airline in India, ahead of SpiceJet and Air India. The market share of Air India and its regional unit Alliance Air plunged to 9.9% last month from 20.3% in May. Tatas have a lot of work to do. Chart by @RaginiSaxena14 pic.twitter.com/Rp6ebNI8EY
— Anurag Kotoky (@anuragkotoky) January 24, 2022
The data in the post shows Air India’s graph dropping below 10% market share in the country, with Go First marginally ahead of both AI and SpiceJet. The carrier’s grip over the Indian domestic sector has been gradually increasing since last year when it toppled SpiceJet in October to become the third-largest airline in the country.
Go First has made a series of attempts recently to turn around its fortunes, including a rebranding campaign, adding new flights, and holding an IPO, which has now been delayed. It remains to be seen if it can sustain the lead in the long term as Air India, under the Tatas, will be hoping to bounce back.
