Alaska Airlines resumes scheduled flights following a temporary halt due to IT system failure
In a surprising turn of events, Alaska Airlines requested a system-wide ground stop for both Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air flights on July 20, 2025, a decision that was subsequently confirmed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). However, as of this report, there is no public evidence directly linking the 'Scattered Spider' hacking group to the recent IT issues at Alaska Airlines, Google, or Palo Alto Networks.
Airlines, particularly those in the aviation sector, have become a rising target for cybercriminals. Notably, Scattered Spider has been expanding its operations, with confirmed attacks on Hawaiian Airlines and WestJet, and possible activity at Qantas. Yet, Alaska Airlines is not mentioned in these reports as a confirmed or suspected victim.
Recent reports highlight that Scattered Spider primarily targets large corporations in retail, insurance, and transportation, with no mention of technology giants like Google or security firms like Palo Alto Networks. The group continues to use sophisticated social engineering, SIM swapping, and increasingly aggressive ransomware deployment, but there is no indication connecting them to Google or Palo Alto Networks.
Passengers were advised to check their flight information due to residual impacts from the ground stop. All flights were allowed to resume at 11:00 pm Pacific Time. The nature of the technical error was not disclosed. This marks the second time in a year that Alaska Airlines has grounded its fleet due to system issues. The most recent system issue occurred on July 20, 2025.
In April 2024, an error with the system calculating the weight and balance of planes caused all flights to be suspended by Alaska Airlines. The financial impact of the Hawaiian Airlines hack, which occurred in June 2025, is still undetermined.
Alaska Air Group, the fifth-largest airline in the US, serves over 120 destinations across five countries. The company operates an operational fleet of 238 Boeing 737 aircraft and 87 Embraer 175 aircraft.
The FAA commented that there was no impact on safety during the Hawaiian Airlines hack. Microsoft stated on July 20, 2025, that it was experiencing "active attacks" on its server software, but it is unclear if Alaska Airlines' troubles might be related.
Attribution in cybersecurity is complex, and public information and official statements are the best available evidence. As of July 2025, none tie these three companies to Scattered Spider. If you have specific incident details or internal reports suggesting otherwise, those would need to be verified against current threat intelligence and public disclosures.
- The aviation sector, including Alaska Air Group, has fallen under the radar of cybercriminals like Scattered Spider, who have targeted other airlines such as Hawaiian Airlines and WestJet.
- Despite recent IT issues, Alaska Airlines is not currently mentioned as a confirmed or suspected victim of Scattered Spider, unlike Hawaiian Airlines and WestJet.
- As a result of the ground stop on July 20, 2025, passengers were advised to check their flight information, with all flights resuming at 11:00 pm Pacific Time.
- Alaska Air Group, operating flights to over 120 destinations across five countries, relies on a combined fleet of Boeing 737 and Embraer 175 aircraft for transportation.
