A cyberattack on Manchester Airports Group exposed data tied to 8.7 million customers across Manchester, Stansted, and East Midlands airports, the company confirmed Thursday, though it says passenger safety and airport operations were not affected.
What Was Exposed
The compromised data included in-airport WiFi registration details, email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registration numbers, postcodes, and parking and booking information. The majority of the accessed data was tied to customer email addresses collected through WiFi sign-ups in the airports’ terminals.
What Wasn’t Exposed
Manchester Airports Group said the affected system did not store customers’ bank details or payment information, and that neither aviation security nor day-to-day operations at any of the three airports were disrupted by the breach.
The Response
The company said it contained the breach immediately upon discovery and has been working with specialist cybersecurity advisers to secure its systems, and has notified relevant authorities. It has not disclosed who is responsible for the attack or how the intrusion occurred.
