EU Confirms Ransomware Attack At Airports, Check-In Rewritten Hand

The busiest Heathrow atmosphere in Europe is still experiencing disruption until Monday. (photo: x @Topi1465795)

JAKARTA Operational disruptions at a number of major airports in Europe in recent days have been caused by ransomware attacks. This, according to a statement by the European Union Cybersecurity Agency (ENISA) on Monday, September 22. This attack highlights the increasing risk of critical infrastructure and industry due to cyber attacks.

The attack disrupted the automated check-in system provided by Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of RTX, which has affected dozens of flights and thousands of passengers since Friday, September 19. Several major airports, including Brussels and London Heathrow, Europe's busiest airports are still experiencing disruptions until Monday.

ENISA stated that the authorities were investigating malicious software locking data until victims paid the ransom to restore access. However, ENISA did not specify the origin of the ransomware attack.

Cyber Attacks Are More Visible, Not More Frequent

Pilling, director of threat intelligence at British cybersecurity firm Sophos, said ransomware attacks tended to target notorious victims for attracting great attention. However, he stressed that the frequency of these kinds of attacks did not increase.

"Intrusive attacks are increasingly visible in Europe, but visibility does not necessarily mean frequency," he said. He added that large-scale attacks that impact the physical world are still exceptions, not common.

According to a survey from German industry group Bitkom, involving around 1,000 companies, ransomware is the most common type of cyberattack, with one in seven companies ever paying a ransom.

Collins Aerospace stated on Monday that it is working with affected airports, including Brussels and London Heathrow, and is in the final stages of an update to restore the full function of the check-in system.

Berlin Airport, which is facing a surge in passengers due to the Berlin Marathon, has not managed to recover its automatic check-in system and reported a delay of more than an hour for departure. One passenger describes the boarding process as returning to the early epoch of commercial flights, with a handwritten boarding pass.

Brussels Airport uses an iPad and laptop for online check-in. Of the approximately 550 flights departing and arriving, 60 flights had to be canceled on Monday. Meanwhile, Dublin Airport reported a minimal' impact with several manual processes implemented.

Cyberattacks have also targeted companies and governments in recent months. luxury Jaguar Land Rover automakers, for example, were forced to stop production due to cyber attacks. In Australia, Optus said that last week's emergency call disruption was caused by irregularities from procedures set out during network updates.

This disruption shows how vulnerable critical infrastructure is to cyberattacks, prompting urgency to improve digital security in various sectors.