Vietnamese hacker jailed for stealing Australian airport data

By Staff reporters   December 11, 2017 | 02:29 am PT
Vietnamese hacker jailed for stealing Australian airport data
Aircraft at Perth International Airport. Photo by Reuters/Jason Reed
He was also found to have hacked into banks and telecommunications infrastructure in Vietnam.

A Vietnamese man was jailed last week after an investigation found he had hacked into Perth Airport’s security system and stolen sensitive information.

Le Duc Hoang Hai was sentenced by the Vietnamese military court to four years in jail for illegally accessing the airport’s systems by using the credentials of a third-party contractor in March 2016, The West Australian reported on Monday.

The report cited Alastair MacGibbon, a cybersecurity adviser for the Australian prime minister, as saying on Sunday that Hai had stolen “a significant amount of data” relating to the airport, including building schematics and details of physical security at airport buildings.

He said Hai had not accessed radars or other systems linked to aircraft operations, or the personal details of passengers.

The investigation suggested he had been attempting to steal credit card data, but a full risk assessment deemed him not a threat to the public.

Perth Airport detected the breach and the Federal Government’s cybersecurity center in Canberra later traced the hack to Vietnam.

Vietnamese police arrested Hai after receiving a tip-off from their Australian colleagues.

The investigation found that Perth Airport was the only target in Australia, but he had hacked banks, telecommunications system and an online military newspaper in Vietnam.

 
 
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