Allow Exco Player content
This content is provided by Exco Player and may use cookies or similar technologies. Please click 'Allow and Continue' below to load the content.
British Airways is facing a £500million fine over the data breach that compromised 380,000 card payments.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said it was “making inquiries” about the breach, which happened over 15 days up until Wednesday.
Under new Data Protection Act regulations, the maximum penalty for a company hit with a data breach is a fine of either £17million or 4 per cent of its global turnover: whichever is greater.
BA's total revenue was £12.2billion in 2017, meaning the company could face a fine of about £500 million if the ICO takes action.
An email sent to a British Airways customer following the data breachGareth Fuller/PAIn a further blow, shares in International Airlines Group (IAG), which owns BA, were down by more than 3pc on Friday as furious customers rushed to cancel their credit cards.
Alex Cruz, BA's chairman and chief executive, told the BBC: "There was a very sophisticated, malicious criminal attack on our website.
Card payments made by at least 380,000 customers using BA online booking systems have been “compromised”EPA"We became aware initially on that day, and we began to work on it. We discovered that something had happened, and immediately we began to work."
BA passenger Gareth Fuller only learnt his family were caught up in the breach after seeing it reported on television.
An email sent to a British Airways customer following the breachPAMr Fuller, his wife and her relatives are all feared to have had their data compromised after booking the same flights for a holiday to Gran Canaria next year.
"It's just a faff,” he said. “It is a hassle having to ring up, cancel our cards and keeping an eye on everything.
Read More
Additional reporting by Press Association.