Hackers Steal Data on 8.7 Million UK Fliers
Hackers Steal Data on 8.7 Million UK Fliers
The News
Hackers broke into systems run by Manchester Airports Group and accessed the personal data of roughly 8.7 million customers across three major UK airports, the company confirmed Thursday.
The operator runs Manchester Airport, London Stansted and East Midlands Airport — three hubs that between them handled about 66 million passengers over the past year, including large volumes of transatlantic traffic.
MAG said the stolen data covers car park, lounge and fast track bookings and in-terminal wifi sign-ups. It said the information taken includes email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registration numbers and postcodes.
The company said neither it nor the system that was breached holds customer bank or payment details, and that flights and airport operations were never affected.
Timeline
Sky News reports that customer data was stolen after a cyber attack targeting Manchester Airport.
Manchester Airports Group confirms the breach hit all three of its airports and that around 8.7 million customers' details were accessed, according to The Independent and The Sun.
MAG says it has contained the risk, brought in specialist advisers and notified the relevant authorities. Terminal operations and car parking continue running normally.
Reactions
A MAG spokesman said: "Manchester Airports group has been subject to a cyber security incident by an unauthorised third party. A quantity of customer data has been obtained that relates to car park, lounge and fast track bookings and in-airport wifi sign-ups at Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands airports."
"We immediately contained the risk and have been working with specialist advisers and taking appropriate steps to protect our customers and systems," the spokesman said. "We have informed and are working with the relevant authorities. At no point has passenger safety or aviation security been compromised."
The company added: "The incident has not resulted in any operational disruption. Airport operations remain unaffected and customer parking services continue to operate normally."
MAG also said it "takes the security of customer information extremely seriously and we apologise for any inconvenience or concern caused."
What's Next
MAG says it is working with the relevant authorities and with outside security specialists as it assesses the breach.
The sources do not name a suspect or a hacking group, and no arrests have been reported. Anyone who registered for terminal wifi or booked parking, a lounge or fast track at Manchester, Stansted or East Midlands should treat unexpected emails, texts and calls referencing their travel as potential phishing — the stolen combination of email address, phone number, postcode and vehicle registration is exactly what scammers use to sound convincing.
More
The scale is set by the size of the airports involved. More than 32 million travelers passed through Manchester Airport over the past year, Stansted handled more than 30 million, and East Midlands recorded four million.
Manchester and Stansted are both significant gateways for American travelers to and from the UK, which is why a data theft at a British airport operator lands in inboxes on this side of the Atlantic too.
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