FlightAware Details

FlightAware

Houston, TX • 149 employees • Transportation

United States

Industry

Transportation

Security Incidents

FlightAware is an American multinational technology company that specializes in providing real-time, historical, and predictive flight tracking data and products. Founded in 2005 by Daniel Baker, FlightAware has grown to become the largest flight tracking platform globally, leveraging a network of over 32,000 Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) ground stations across 200 countries. The company's services are utilized by airlines, airports, government agencies, and aviation enthusiasts to monitor flight statuses and locations.

The platform offers a variety of products, including...
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Security Incidents

FlightAware Breach of Jan 2021

Severity Score

Very High

Type

Data Breach

Summary

FlightAware, a Houston-based flight tracking platform, experienced a data security incident due to a configuration error that occurred on January 1, 2021, and went unnoticed until July 25, 2024. This incident potentially exposed users' personal information for over three years, including user IDs, passwords, email addresses, and additional details like full names, billing and shipping addresses, IP addresses, social media accounts, telephone numbers, years of birth, the last four digits of credit card numbers, and Social Security numbers.

FlightAware has identified and corrected the configura...
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Severity

FlightAware experienced a significant data breach due to a configuration error that went undetected for over three years. This incident resulted in the exposure of a wide range of customer data, including user IDs, passwords, email addresses, and more sensitive information such as Social Security numbers and credit card details. The breach also compromised information specific to the aviation industry, including details about aircraft ownership, pilot status, and account activities.

Although FlightAware promptly addressed the configuration error and secured the data, the prolonged exposure an...
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Impact

FlightAware experienced a significant data breach due to a configuration error that went undetected for over three years. This incident resulted in the exposure of a wide range of customer data, including user IDs, passwords, email addresses, and more sensitive information like Social Security numbers and credit card details.

The breach also compromised information specific to the aviation industry, including details about aircraft ownership, pilot status, and account activities. Fortunately, FlightAware addressed the configuration error and secured the data, prompting affected users to rese...
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