Ransomware hits Allied Pilots Association, the American Airlines pilots union

The Allied Pilots Association, the independent union that represents about 15,000 American Airlines pilots, was hit by a ransomware attack on October 30, 2023. The union said certain systems were encrypted and that it secured its network as soon as the incident was discovered.

The attack took down alliedpilots.org along with the union's email and the secure member area of the site, leaving the organization to communicate with pilots through social media while it worked on recovery. The APA engaged outside cybersecurity experts and opened an investigation into the scope of the intrusion.

Restoration was carried out from backups and prioritized pilot-facing products and tools. By the first weekend of November the union said most functionality had returned, including the public website, and that it expected the remaining systems back within days. All member passwords were reset as part of the recovery.

The APA did not name the ransomware group involved, did not describe any ransom demand, and did not say whether pilots' personal information had been copied or how many people might be affected. It said it would share further detail as its investigation progressed. Founded in 1963, the APA is the largest independent pilots' union in the world.