A cyberattack has targeted three major airports in the United Kingdom, compromising personal information belonging to about 8.7 million customers, according to Manchester Airports Group (MAG), the operator of the affected airports.
The affected airports are Manchester Airport, London Stansted Airport and East Midlands Airport.
MAG said an unauthorised third party gained access to systems containing customers’ email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registration numbers and postcodes. Much of the compromised information was linked to airport Wi-Fi registrations, car park bookings, lounge reservations and Fast Track services. (The Guardian)
The company said it immediately contained the incident and brought in specialist advisers to investigate the breach and strengthen the protection of its customers and systems. Relevant authorities have also been notified.
MAG stressed that customers’ banking and payment information was not compromised, as such details were not stored on the affected systems. It also said the cyberattack had no impact on passenger safety, aviation security or airport operations.
Customers, particularly those whose email addresses and phone numbers were accessed, have been advised to remain vigilant against suspicious emails, phone calls or text messages purporting to come from the airports.
MAG apologised for the incident and said investigations were continuing to determine its full extent. The three airports handled more than 66 million passengers in the previous year, underscoring the scale of the potential data exposure.
