LONDON – A cyberattack targeting three major airports in the United Kingdom has compromised the personal data of around 8.7 million users, with hackers reportedly demanding a ransom in exchange for returning the stolen information.
Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports were affected by the cyberattack, according to British media reports.
The compromised data reportedly includes email addresses, telephone numbers, vehicle registration details and postcodes. Information linked to car parking, lounge and fast-track bookings was also affected. Data belonging to passengers who used Wi-Fi services at the airports was also compromised.
Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which operates the affected airports, said hackers obtained customers’ contact information, vehicle registration numbers and postcodes over the weekend.
The group said the attackers demanded a ransom in exchange for the stolen data, but the company refused to make any payment. The amount demanded by the hackers has not been disclosed.
MAG said passenger safety and aviation security were not affected at any stage. It also clarified that the compromised system did not contain customers’ banking or payment information.
According to the group, approximately 8.7 million customers were affected, with most of the compromised information consisting of email addresses linked to Wi-Fi registrations at airport terminals.
MAG said it became aware of the cyber incident on Tuesday and immediately blocked further unauthorised access. Affected customers were also notified.
The company said the threat had been contained and that cybersecurity specialists were assisting with measures to protect customers and its systems.
The relevant authorities have also been informed of the incident.
MAG apologised to customers for any concern or inconvenience caused and said it was treating the security of their information as a matter of the highest priority.
