Alaska Airlines (Virgin America) alaskaair.com Alaska Airlines data breach: what happened and what to do
Virgin America, now part of Alaska Airlines, found unauthorized access to its systems on March 13, 2017. About 3,120 employees and contractors had network logins exposed, and about 110 had more sensitive data exposed. Alaska said customer data wasn't affected.
View all 13,115 breaches- Breach date
- 13 Mar 2017
- Made public
- 31 Jul 2017
- Affected
- 3,120
- Data exposed
- Passwords, Physical addresses, Social security numbers, Government issued IDs, Medical information
- Last updated
What happened
This breach involves Virgin America, an airline now part of Alaska Airlines. On March 13, 2017, Virgin America's security team spotted possible unauthorized access to its information systems. The airline brought in forensic experts and told law enforcement. The incident became public in 2017 and notices were filed with state attorneys general, including California and Washington.
It's an employee breach. Alaska said customer data for Virgin America and Alaska Airlines was not affected. Washington's list shows 1,442 Washington residents notified, but that's one state only, not the total.
What was exposed
About 3,120 current and former employees and contractors had their network login credentials and passwords potentially compromised. About 110 of them also had more sensitive details exposed, including home addresses, Social Security numbers, driver's license or government ID details and health-related information.
For those 110 people, the risk is identity theft, because a Social Security number and an ID number are enough to apply for credit. For everyone else in the group, the risk is the password: anyone who used the same one elsewhere could see other accounts taken over. The airline didn't publicly explain how attackers got in.
The company's response
Affected staff were told to reset their passwords. The airline offered credit monitoring to the roughly 110 people whose personal information was involved.
What to do
If you worked for Virgin America, change any password you reused and freeze your credit if you were notified that your Social Security number was involved.
What to do if you were in it
- 1
Change the old password everywhere you used it
If you used your Virgin America login on any other site, change it there too. Use a different password for each account, and a password manager makes that easy.
- 2
Turn on two-factor login
Use an authenticator app or passkey on your email, bank and other key accounts so a stolen password alone isn't enough.
- 3
Freeze your credit if your letter mentioned your Social Security number
Place a free credit freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Take the credit monitoring the airline offered, but don't rely on it alone.
- 4
Watch for phishing that mentions Virgin America or Alaska Airlines
Treat unexpected messages about your job, benefits or a data breach as suspect and go to the company's site yourself.
- 5
Check whether your email or phone is in this and other breaches
A free Serus scan checks breach databases for your email and phone number and tells you what to do next. Serus can't remove breach data, but it alerts you when your details show up.
Frequently asked
Was I affected by the Alaska Airlines data breach?
Only if you worked for Virgin America. Alaska said customer data wasn't affected, and the notices went to current and former employees and contractors.
How many people were affected?
About 3,120 employees and contractors had logins exposed, and about 110 had more sensitive details exposed. Washington's breach list shows 1,442 Washington residents, which is only one state.
What was exposed?
Network logins and passwords for about 3,120 people. For about 110, addresses, Social Security numbers, driver's license or government ID details and health-related information.
Should I change my password?
Yes, on any account where you reused your Virgin America password, and turn on two-factor login.
Sources
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