KLM Airlines (aka KLM Royal Dutch Airlines), a French-Dutch multinational airline, has notified customers about a recent data breach that exposed certain personal details after a third-party system the company relies on was accessed by an unauthorised party. The breach did not affect core systems or more sensitive data, but it still involves information that could be misused in targeted scams.
In the email sent to affected users, including frequent flyers, KLM stated that the breach involved a limited set of personal data from previous interactions with their customer service team.
This includes first and last names, contact details, Flying Blue membership numbers and tier levels, along with the subject lines from service-related emails. While no passwords, credit card numbers, booking data or passport details were involved, the exposed information can still be used to craft believable phishing messages.
The breach was traced back to a third-party platform used by KLM, which has since worked alongside the airline’s internal teams to contain the issue. Both KLM and the third party have taken corrective steps to secure the system and prevent any repeat of the incident. The company also filed a report with the Dutch Data Protection Authority in line with EU privacy laws.
KLM is advising customers to be cautious if they receive emails or calls that refer to their Flying Blue membership or other personal details. Messages urging urgent action or asking for additional information should be treated with suspicion, and recipients are encouraged to verify such communications through official KLM channels.
“This incident is further evidence that bad actors remain deeply interested in the aviation space, but it appears that no critical systems, e.g., aircraft design, operations, or security, were breached,“ said Bryan Cunningham, President at Liberty Defense, Ex-White House Lawyer and CIA.
“One caveat, however, although there are applicable regulations in the European Union mandating reports to regulators of some cyber breaches, even if they do not implicate data beyond personally identifiable information, these reports would not necessarily be made public,“ Cunningham emphasized.
“Some data breaches that seem relatively innocuous can be used by bad actors to “map” the internal cybersecurity environment of a victim organization, enabling future, more serious future intrusions,” he warned.
“Notified victims of this breach should immediately change account user names and passwords, enable multi-factor authentication if available (and, if it’s not, KLM should add this important security measure), and take advantage of any offered credit monitoring or other services,“ Cunningham advised.
Nevertheless, while the exposed data may seem limited, it can still be enough to add credibility to phishing attempts or social engineering tactics. KLM apologised for the inconvenience and emphasised that its teams are available for support through the customer contact center.
