Hackers targeted Collins Aerospace systems, causing chaos at Heathrow, Berlin, and Brussels
A ransomware attack was behind the airport disruptions that crippled automated check-in systems in some of Europe’s busiest hubs over the weekend, media reported on Monday, citing the EU’s cybersecurity agency ENISA.
The outages affected dozens of flights and disrupted travel for thousands of passengers in London Heathrow, Berlin, Brussels, and other airports.
”The type of ransomware has been identified. Law enforcement is involved to investigate,” ENISA said in a statement, as quoted by Reuters, without specifying where the attack originated from.
The breach on Friday night targeted check-in and boarding systems provided by US software maker Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of major American defense and aerospace corporation RTX, previously known as Raytheon Technologies.
Reuters quoted Collins Aerospace as saying on Monday that it was working with the affected airports and was in the final stages of completing updates to help restore full functionality. The firm was also reportedly hit by ransom-seeking hackers in 2023.
Ransomware is a type of malicious software that blocks access to a computer system or data, usually by encrypting them, until the victim pays a ransom. No groups have yet claimed responsibility or made any demands.
