Japan Airlines said it was hit by a cyberattack, causing delays to more than 20 domestic flights, according to The Outlook.
The company reported the issue on Thursday morning when its network, connecting internal and external systems, began to malfunction. The alleged cyberattack caused 24 domestic flights to be delayed by more than 30 minutes.
According to police, Japan Airlines could have fallen victim to a distributed denial-of-service, or DDoS attack, in which networks are overloaded with data from multiple sources in a short period of time.
Ticket sales for domestic and international flights scheduled for Thursday were temporarily suspended. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi stated that the transport ministry had ordered the airline to accelerate efforts to restore the system and accommodate affected passengers.
Japan’s main tourist season is just getting underway, as offices close starting this weekend for the New Year holidays, when millions of people return to their hometowns from the cities.
