A major cyberattack on check-in technology company Collins Aerospace has caused major disruptions throughout numerous major European airports. The action began late Saturday and continued into Sunday. It brought activity to a halt at all of Europe’s major airports, including Brussels, Heathrow, Berlin and Dublin. Travelers experienced massive delays and cancellations as airports rushed to contain the aftermath from the coordinated attack.
As you may know, the cyberattack completely upended the flight schedule at Belgium’s Brussels Airport. Passengers experienced major delays and cancellations because of it. Officials at Brussels Airport feared that these disruptions would continue through Sunday, ruining travel plans for thousands of people.
London’s Heathrow Airport announced problems as a result of the outage. The airport’s management stated they were actively working to “resolve and recover” from the incident linked to Collins Aerospace’s systems. Berlin Airport had previously alerted travelers to long waiting times caused by the “systems outage at a service provider.” In the meantime, Dublin Airport was still hoping to hold a full flight schedule on Sunday, even as the saga played out.
Collins Aerospace’s parent company, RTX, acknowledged the cyber-related disruption affecting its MUSE software but has stated that “the impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations.” This is an incredibly difficult time. Other measures are within reach to alleviate at least some of the drawbacks travelers must endure.
The aviation industry has increasingly become a top target for cybercriminals, largely because of its dependency on integrated digital technology. Charlotte Wilson, head of enterprise at cybersecurity firm Check Point, highlighted the attack surfaces that exist within the sector.
“These attacks often strike through the supply chain, exploiting third-party platforms that are used by multiple airlines and airports at once,” – Charlotte Wilson.
Wilson explained that when a single vendor is breached, the impacts can reach well beyond one party.
“When one vendor is compromised, the ripple effect can be immediate and far-reaching, causing widespread disruption across borders,” – Charlotte Wilson.
The ongoing nature of cyber threats highlights the critical importance of collaboration among nations in identifying and responding to such incidents. Wilson stated,
“Cyberattacks rarely stop at national borders, so the faster one country can identify and report an attack, the faster others can take action to contain it,” – Charlotte Wilson.
Following the disturbance, Heathrow Airport released an apology to affected travelers. They reassured travelers that despite the challenges, most flights continued to operate.
“We apologise to those who have faced delays, but by working together with airlines, the vast majority of flights have continued to operate,” – Heathrow Airport.
They provided guidance for passengers planning to travel through Heathrow, advising them to check their flight status before arriving and recommending specific arrival times based on flight duration.
“We encourage passengers to check the status of their flight before travelling to Heathrow and to arrive no earlier than three hours for long-haul flights and two hours for short-haul,” – Heathrow Airport.
Airports across the U.S. are scrambling to recuperate from the ongoing, debilitating effects of a major cyberattack. In turn, many are taking a hard look at their cybersecurity policies, procedures and readiness. The aviation sector’s interconnected nature makes it particularly critical to have a strong defense against these threats.