SAA accused of another sensitive data breach

Airlink has confirmed that a second raft of sensitive business data made it into the hands of one of its competitors, South African Airways (SAA).

It was, allegedly taken by former staffer and now senior SAA executive Carla da Silva, who allegedly distributed it to her colleagues at the state-owned company.

SAA allegedly admitted to breach

Airlink chief executive Rodger Foster said SAA admitted to the second breach recently.

“Subsequent to the breach that was the focus of the initial case, SAA has confirmed to Airlink that Da Silva distributed to her colleagues a copy of Airlink’s current sales and marketing budget which includes details and codes for every line item [featured],” he said.

“This is highly sensitive and confidential information.”

A marketing budget is a window into the commercial operations of any business.

It directly reflects the strategic priorities of a business, indicates market focus and spending intention and also hints at financial health.

This kind of information, said an aviation consultant, could provide competitors with insights that could allow them to counteract or undermine a competing airline’s efforts.

“It’s easy to make fairly accurate assumptions of a company’s commercial direction based on the data,” the consultant said.

“Knowledge of the budget exposes how much the company can afford to spend and is often tied to other sensitive financial data, such as profit margins and revenue targets, making it critical to keep this information confidential.”

Airlink is presently engaged in civil action against Da Silva and several other staffers for being in possession of other sensitive information.

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Criminal complaint was lodged

A criminal complaint was also lodged against Da Silva and other SAA employees for theft of incorporeal, or intangible, property.

Foster said as with the first round of data breach, SAA advised Airlink that the recipients destroyed it and have not used it.

To date, SAA has ignored questions about any internal steps it might or might not be taking against Da Silva and colleagues.

Board chair Derek Hanekom told The Citizen last week the board has not yet contemplated the matter as there has been no briefing from management.

The Citizen approached independent nonexecutive directors Dumisani Sangweni and Mahlubi Mazwi via WhatsApp but after seven days, no response was forthcoming from either.

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Outa says it’s hurting SAA’s reputation

Wayne Duvenage of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse said Da Silva’s alleged conduct and its impact on the airline’s reputation, particularly as it seeks to rebuild public trust, is a matter of concern.

“The board should have already sought feedback from the CEO on how this issue is being handled, especially given the criminal charges brought by Airlink,” he said, adding the board’s delayed response is concerning.

“The current leadership must ensure impeccable governance, with the executive and board acting swiftly on any whistle-blower reports.”

Interestingly, a spokesperson for Minister of Planning and Evaluation in the Presidency Maropene Ramokgopa would not respond directly, yet noted the questions relating to Da Silva’s alleged actions and the purported concomitant failures in governance were operational in nature.

“It is for the SAA management and board to deal with.”

SAA ignored questions about taxpayer funding of Da Silva and other staffer’s legal costs.

DA spokesperson Darren Bergman said where the case is against SAA, “it is condoned that SAA would defend themselves legally and financially.

When it comes to an individual that is being legally pursued, the individual should be defending that case from their own purse, unless it was an action caused by the employer.

“In that case, the employer could have more to answer for in terms of accountability if found guilty.

If management is taking a stand and protecting an individual, then they must not be surprised that if found guilty, the DA will call for recourse against not just the individual, but the people above [management] in SAA that financially supported and condoned this,” he added.

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