UN aviation agency 'actively investigating' cybercriminal’s claimed data breach

The U.N.’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) announced late on Monday that it was “actively investigating reports of a potential information security incident” following a criminal claim to have breached the agency.

According to ICAO’s statement, the incident was “allegedly linked to a threat actor known for targeting international organizations.”

It follows the account “Natohub” claiming on the hacking forum BreachForums 2 — the successor to a site seized by the FBI in 2023 — to have compromised 42,000 documents from ICAO containing personal data.

The same account, which was registered only six months ago, had last month claimed to have accessed the personal data of 14,000 delegates to the United Nations.

According to Natohub, the ICAO personal records include full names, dates of birth, physical and email addresses, phone numbers, and details about the individuals’ education history and employment.

In its statement, the Montreal-based ICAO said: “We take this matter very seriously and have implemented immediate security measures while conducting a comprehensive investigation. Further information will be provided once our preliminary investigation is complete.”