As fast as the tech industry is growing, cyberattacks are also increasing rapidly. The cyber breach has now become a part of our daily digest. Every other day, we hear about another organization or industry falling victim to it. No sector is secure in this era; the same happened on 28 June 2025, when a group named Scattered Spider attacked the avian industry. After hitting the insurance and retail sectors, this is now the third victim of cyberattacks in the US.
Hawaiian Airlines and Canada’s WestJet confirmed the attack but did not mention any perpetrator. However, the FBI reported the scattered spider as responsible for cyberattacks. In addition, they added, “Once inside (a victim’s network), Scattered Spider actors steal sensitive data for extortion and often deploy ransomware”. One of their preferred methods of hacking the data is through call centres. They pretend to be an employee or a customer and gain access to the networks of big companies.
However, both airlines claimed that they are unaffected, which shows a sign of strong network operation. They ping the whole team to monitor the situation but that too it’s just a defensive step, not a permanent solution. Recently, we came to know of a significant breach in which 16 billion passwords were leaked, mainly targeting tech giants. These are all wake-up calls that innovations alone aren’t enough in the tech industry; the major problem is to protect them from breaches.
The more connected our world becomes, the more fragile they are too. Every new system, cloud, or smart solution opens another door, and attackers are getting better at finding the unlocked one. Cybersecurity should no longer be a reactive measure after an attack; it must be a proactive foundation. In the end, the strength of our progress will depend on the strength of our protections.
