Britain's Largest Airport Operator Reports Theft of Passenger Data

Manchester Airports Group (MAG) — the United Kingdom's largest airport operator, owning the airports of Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands — has reported a breach of its systems and the theft of customer data. More than 66 million passengers pass through these three airports every year.

What Was Stolen

According to the company, the attacker gained access to data related to Wi-Fi registration, as well as to information on bookings for parking, lounges and the Fast Track service. The compromised information includes email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registration numbers and postal codes.

At the same time, MAG stresses that customers' payment data was not affected, and that the incident had no impact whatsoever on airport operations: air travel and parking services are functioning as normal.

The Company's Response

Upon discovering the intrusion, MAG said it promptly took steps to contain it: it restricted access to the affected systems, brought in outside specialists and notified law enforcement. As a precaution, the company temporarily suspended its “Manage My Booking” online service, redirecting travelers to a telephone line.

Affected customers are advised to stay alert to suspicious messages and not to click on links in emails or SMS. MAG specifically reminds customers that it never asks them for bank card details, account information or passwords — any such attempts should be rejected and reported to the authorities. Users are also advised to follow the NCSC's guidance in the wake of a breach.

Scale in Question

The company states that it has contacted affected customers directly, but has not named the number of those impacted. Local media, citing non-public statements by MAG, reported that the breach may have affected as many as 8.9 million travelers, though the outlet BleepingComputer was unable to confirm that figure.

As of publication, no ransomware or data-encryption group had publicly claimed responsibility for the attack.

Source: Bleeping Computer