HelpRansomware analyzes the ransomware attack which the airline TAP Air Portugal fell victim to at the end of August.
The company, a leader in ransomware removal, cybersecurity and decryption, studies the facts of the ransomware attack on TAP Air Portugal and how they have affected its online reputation.
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Companies, the primary victims of ransomware
For the following reasons, companies are the primary victims of ransomware:
- The companies have a vast database of clients;
- The informations they manage are confidential, for example, telephone numbers or home addresses;
- Companies can’t afford to lockout and pay the ransom because of desperation;
- Ransomware ends up affecting your income, generating losses;
- Your corporate reputation is damaged.
The Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2022 report from the World Economic Forum indicates that 39% of companies have been affected by a third-party cyber accident in the last two years.
The quick notification of TAP Air Portugal
Airline TAP Air Portugal has joined the victims of ransomware.
On August 26, it communicated, through a press release, the detection and blocking of a cyber attack:
“AP was the target of a cyber-attack on the night of 25 August. TAP’s security mechanisms were promptly activated and any unauthorized access blocked. […] Operational integrity is guaranteed, so there is no risk to flight safety. No facts have been found that allow us to conclude that there has been improper access to customer data.”
The speed with which the company communicated the fact is striking, not only through the web but also through Twitter.
The second statement from TAP Air Portugal
TAP Air Portugal spoke again, in a second press release, about the incident and confirmed the data theft:
“TAP has been the victim of a cyber-attack […]. Today allegations are being made that an organised cybercrime group has stolen customer data.”
Data theft from TAP Air Portugal
On September 21st, the airline issued an important notice to its customers where it communicated the type of data that was stolen:
- Name;
- Nationality;
- Gender;
- Date of Birth;
- Address;
- Email;
- Telephone contact;
- Customer registration date;
- Frequent traveler number.
The disclosure of personal data through open sources increases the risk of illegitimate use.
The purpose is to obtain other data that can compromise digital systems to commit phishing.
TAP Air Portugal resolves all customer queries through FAQs, demonstrating the airline’s transparency.
In addition, the CEO of the company, Christine Ourmières-Widener, confirmed, through a video, that they would not give in to the hackers’ blackmail:
“We are not going to negotiate with cybercriminals.”
What happened to customer data?
The hackers illegitimately accessed the personal data of some of the customers and released it publicly.
The company indicates that the information has been leaked on the Dark Web.
HelpRansomware offers premium cybersecurity services to help administrations and businesses remove any ransomware and restore encrypted files.
The company always insists on not paying the ransom or negotiating with cybercriminals.
Afterward, contact a company specialized in ransomware removal and file decryption like HelpRansomware.
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Our certified professionals have over 25 years of experience in ransomware removal, data recovery, and computer security.
Attack on TAP Air Portugal: the analysis
HelpRansomware analyzes how this criminal act has affected the online reputation of TAP Air Portugal.
- The study is divided into:
- Feeling;
- Positive and negative themes;
- Trends;
- Emotions.
This reputation monitoring analysis covers September 21st to 25th, the date the airline made its last informative update on the ransomware attack.
The sentiment
RepUP Monitoring Tool computes the percentage of positive or negative sentiment generated by users on social networks.
HelpRansomware has also calculated the net sentiment the airline produced on the Internet.
This is the net percentage, measured on a scale of -100 to 100.
After the ransomware attack, the negative sentiment of TAP Air Portugal is 41.9%, and only 8.1% is positive.
His net sentiment is -67.7%, which has decreased by 25.8% compared to the previous week.
The data reflects how the ransomware attack has damaged the airline’s digital reputation.
Trends
The software analyzes the trends associated with TAP Air Portugal from September 21ts to 25th.
As shown in the image, some of the topics are related to this type of malware:
- Cyber security;
- Computing;
- Cybercriminals;
- Cyber attacks;
- Disclosed;
- Attack.
All these keywords are in the negative-neutral range and show the speed and interest of Internet users in current affairs.
Emotions
HelpRansomware has analyzed the emotions generated by TAP Air Portugal.
RepUP Monitoring Tool divides the different sentiments as follows:
- Happiness;
- Sadness;
- Fear;
- Anger;
- Surprise.
Anger is the predominant emotion, 68.3%, followed by sadness (17.5%) and fear (11.1%).
All these emotions have grown to 250% compared to the previous week.
Conclusions
Through this case study, the effectiveness of ransomware against private companies, such as TAP Air Portugal, has been verified.
The leak of customer data has dramatically damaged its image.
Therefore, time is vital not only to recover the data but also for the online reputation of the entity.
The following conclusions can be drawn from this text:
- On August 26th, TAP Air Portugal reported being the victim of a cyber-attack;
- The company confirmed the theft and disclosure of customer data;
- His negative sentiment is 41.9% and the positive 8.1%;
- The trends associated with his name are keywords such as cybersecurity or attack;
- The predominant emotion generated by TAP Air Portugal is anger;
- The airline has carried out a specific communication plan for the reputational crisis.
Those data verifies that TAP Air Portugal is a victim of cybercrime, which has affected its online reputation and sentiment.
The first step for a ransomware victim is to stay calm and not pay the ransom to cyber criminals.
Victims should contact a company specialized in ransomware and cybersecurity removal, such as HelpRansomware.
The company, part of the ReputationUP group, is a leader in the decryption and recovery of data hijacked by ransomware.
Immediate Ransomware Help
Don’t let ransomware hold your business hostage. Our experts are ready to recover your data and secure your systems.
