UN Civil Aviation Agency Investigate Alleged Data Hacking

JAKARTA The United Nations (UN) civil aviation agency, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), is investigating reports of a "potential information security incident" after claims emerged that tens of thousands of their data had been stolen. This is known according to an official statement released on Monday, January 6.

ICAO, based in Canada, said in a statement that the security breach may be linked to "an actor known to frequently target international organizations."

In a follow-up email to Reuters, ICAO confirmed that the investigation was linked to claims reported in a hacker forum on January 6, in which it was stated that about 42,000 data had been stolen from the agency. However, ICAO did not provide further details.

"At the initial stage of this investigation, we have not been able to provide additional details about the incident or confirm specific claims regarding the data that may be involved," ICAO said.

ICAO, which has 193 member states, was previously targeted for cyberattacks in 2016. After the incident, the agency stated that it had made significant improvements to its security system.

However, this alleged latest breach raised concerns about the vulnerability of international organizations to cyberattacks. ICAO has not confirmed specifically the type of data that may have leaked, but this initial report has attracted the attention of many parties related to information security at the UN agency.

ICAO said it would continue to provide updates after further investigations were carried out. With the increasing incidents of hacking against global organizations, this incident serves as a reminder of the importance of strengthening information security systems, particularly in international institutions that play an important role in world aviation regulations.