Customer data has been stolen after a cyber attack targeting three UK airports, Sky News has reported.
The data seized from 8.7 million customers included email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registrations and postcodes, Manchester Airport Group (MAG) said.
The company announced the “cyber security incident” relating to Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands airports at around 1pm on Thursday.
“Manchester Airports Group has been subject to a cyber security incident by an unauthorised third party,” an MAG spokesperson said.
“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.
MAG said the system accessed did not hold customers’ bank or payment details.
“At no point has passenger safety or aviation security been compromised,” the spokesman added.
“We immediately contained the risk and have been working with specialist advisors and taking appropriate steps to protect our customers and systems. We have informed and are working with the relevant authorities.”
Elsewhere, Iran-linked hackers shut down a British power plant for four days in what The Telegraph newspaper describes as the most successful cyberattack of its kind against UK energy infrastructure.
“Iran shut down a British power plant for four days in an unprecedented cyber attack, The Telegraph can disclose.”
“It is thought to be the first time that hackers affiliated to the Iranian regime have succeeded in closing down such a facility in the UK, and is believed to be the most successful cyber attack of its kind.”
British officials did not name the power plant because of security concerns. Staff worked for four days to restore it, but the plant was small and the outage did not affect the UK’s wider power supply. Still, the government warned power companies and businesses about the incident and provided guidance on how to respond.
The attack was reported to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of GCHQ, which helps protect the UK’s critical infrastructure. The NCSC did not comment on the specific incident.
