Panasonic 2022 Network Hack Results in Data Breach

Panasonic Avionics Corp., an in-flight entertainment and communications (IFEC) solution provider, revealed that personal information of an undisclosed number of individuals was compromised in the December 2022 cyberattack.

In an individual notification to affected individuals, the US-based company disclosed certain details about the incident, including the type of information compromised. ‘’On December 30, 2022, Panasonic identified evidence of an issue potentially impacting certain systems in our corporate network environment that occurred on or around December 14, 2022,’’ the notice read.

In last weeks’ notice filed with the Office of California’s Attorney General, Panasonic said that during the cyberattack, the hacker gained access to certain information collected by the company, from individuals and their employers.

‘’We promptly initiated a comprehensive investigation into the nature and scope of the incident and impacted personal information, engaging cybersecurity and forensics experts to assist in the investigation of the incident, to assess what information may have been impacted, and to identify the individuals associated with that information,’’ the notice read.

While personally identifiable and specific information related to an individual’s health was accessed, the company till date, has no evidence of any data misuse.

The stolen information includes, name, contact details (email address, mailing address, and telephone number), dates of birth, medical and health insurance information, financial account numbers, company employment status, and government identifiers, such as Social Security numbers.

As remediation measures, the company undertook several steps to enhance its network’s security and offered affected individuals a 2-year complimentary identity and credit monitoring services through Kroll. It also advised the said individuals to remain vigilant of any account-related suspicious activity.

A subsidiary of Panasonic America, the world’s leading in-flight entertainment (IFE) solutions has been installed on 15,000+ commercial airplanes, and its satellite Wi-Fi connectivity on over 3,400 aircraft, worldwide.