A statement from EasyJet, the British budget airline, said about nine million customers had their personal information stolen in a major data breach, including credit card details of 2,200 customers, no passport records were found. EasyJet did not say when the security incident occurred or how the hackers gained access to its systems.

The company said it had referred the leak to the Information Commission's Office, the UK's data protection agency.In accordance with European data protection regulations, the company has 72 hours to notify regulators of security incidents.

Like other companies in the aviation industry, this airline has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.The pandemic has forced many people around the world to stay at home, and business travel and vacations have been largely put on hold.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, EasyJet transported more than 28 million passengers in 2019.EasyJet was also one of the first companies to ask the UK government for assistance to prevent financial collapse.

Ico, the British regulator, said last year that data leaks revealed details of half a million customers' bookings after it planned to impose a record 183 million pounds ($230 million) fine on British Airways. It has stolen thousands of customers' credit card numbers after installing Skiming malware on its web site.

(Source: cnBeta, cover from the Internet.)）