In the last 12 months, threat actors have launched four supply-chain attacks targeting European multinational aerospace corporation Airbus via some of its suppliers, insiders told AFP. During this period, the company only publicly acknowledged a security incident in January, which reportedly led to “unauthorised access to data.”
The AFP’s sources said the four attacks were highly sophisticated and aimed to obtain sensitive commercial information. The insiders believe Chinese state-backed hackers to be responsible for the campaigns. Threat actors linked to Beijing are known for hacking firms in order to steal research and commercial data. Moreover, the hackers targeted data on engines and avionics, which are “areas in which Chinese research and development is weak,” according to one of the sources.
Read more: Airbus hit by series of cyber attacks on suppliers