Sabre Investigating Chinese Hacker Attack
by Michele McDonald /Sabre Corp. said it is investigating a “cyber security incident” with the help of experts in the field.
“At this time, we are not aware that this incident has compromised sensitive, protected information, such as credit card data or personally identifiable information, but our investigation is ongoing,” the company said in a statement.
The breach, first reported by BloombergBusiness, is believed to be the work of the Chinese hacker group that attacked the U.S. government’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and stole thousands of personnel records.
It was part of a wave of attacks that included the OPM and the Anthem insurance company.
Bloomberg also reported that American Airlines was hacked as well, but a spokesman for the carrier said that it “has worked with outside cyber security experts who checked digital signatures, IP addresses and style of attack, and there’s no evidence to suggest a breach similar to that experienced by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. There is also no evidence that customer data may have been compromised.”
Sabre hosts American’s passenger services system, which includes its reservations system.
Sabre said it is “committed to protecting sensitive information” and “will share additional information as appropriate.”
American said, “We take cyber security very seriously and have a strong record of actively communicating with our customers and partners. We go above and beyond any notification requirements.”