Belgian man jailed for hacking airline website for cheap flights

A Belgian man has been sentenced by a court in Mechelen to three years in prison for various computer hacking cases, reports Geeko and Le Soir.

A cyberattacker since the age of 12, “Kevin D” hacked multiple American Airlines websites in 2017 to get cheaper flights.

In total, he made 21 fraudulent flight bookings. His various hacks have allowed him to purchase his 10 business class airline tickets without paying a fee, gain access to airline loyalty programs, obtain employee and customer data, and steal American Airlines. and had access to information on internal procedures at airports in the United States served by the company. .

Estimated damages caused by the hack exceeded $200,000.

In addition to American Airlines, Kevin D also carried out similar actions against Movistar, Utopolis, Brussels Airlines and Lufthansa. The verdict handed down last week by the Mechelen Court reflects that it was not a first offense.

The man was arrested in Milan in October 2021 and remains in an Italian prison. For crimes against American companies, the United States requested that Belgium extradite him so that he could face a prison sentence of 22 to 45 years.

Belgium opposes his extradition to the United States. If the Belgian judgment rules against extradition to the United States and the U.S. judiciary rejects the Belgian judgment, the defendant will not be allowed to leave the territory. Otherwise, he risks being arrested and extradited to the United States.

Photo: American Airlines