NEWS
Cyberattack Hits Three Major UK Airports, Exposes Personal Data of 8.7 Million Customers
A major cybersecurity breach has struck three of the United Kingdom’s busiest airports, potentially exposing the personal information of approximately 8.7 million customers.
Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which operates Manchester Airport, London Stansted Airport and East Midlands Airport, confirmed that an unauthorised third party gained access to systems containing sensitive customer information.
The breach affected personal details including email addresses, telephone numbers, vehicle registration numbers and postcodes. Much of the information was reportedly connected to services used by passengers, including airport Wi-Fi registrations, car park bookings, lounge reservations and Fast Track services.
The scale of the incident has raised concerns because of the huge number of passengers who use the affected airports. The three airports collectively handled more than 66 million passengers over the previous year, highlighting the potential reach of the data exposure.
MAG said it moved quickly to contain the cyber incident after discovering the unauthorised access. The company has also brought in specialist cybersecurity advisers to investigate the breach, determine its full scope and reinforce the security of its systems. Relevant authorities have been notified as investigations continue.
Despite the seriousness of the breach, MAG said customers’ banking and payment information was not affected because such financial details were not stored on the compromised systems.
The cyberattack also did not disrupt airport operations or affect passenger safety and aviation security, meaning flights and other essential airport services continued to operate normally.
However, affected customers have been urged to remain particularly cautious. Those whose email addresses or phone numbers may have been accessed are being advised to watch out for suspicious emails, text messages and telephone calls from individuals pretending to represent the airports.
Cybersecurity experts routinely warn that stolen contact information can be used in follow-up phishing and impersonation attempts, making vigilance especially important following a major data breach.
MAG has apologised to customers for the incident and said its investigation remains ongoing as it works to establish precisely what information was accessed and how the unauthorised party gained entry to its systems.
The breach adds to growing concerns over the vulnerability of major transport infrastructure to increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks, with airports holding vast amounts of passenger and operational data.