British Police Arrest Man Related To Hacking Disrupt European Airport

NCA Deputy Director, Paul Foster. (photo: x @PoliceSummmit ·)

JAKARTA - British police said on Wednesday September 24 that a man had been arrested as part of an investigation into a ransomware attack against Collins Aerospace, which is owned by RTX. This attack caused the check-in system at airports offline and caused extensive travel disruptions across Europe.

The UK National Crime Institute (NCA) said in a statement that the man, who is in his 40s, was arrested on Tuesday, September 23 for alleged violations of the Computer Abuse Act and has been released on condition.

"Although this arrest is a positive step, the investigation into this incident is still in its early stages and continues," said NCA Deputy Director Paul Foster.

It remains unclear which criminal group was behind last week's hack. An NCA spokesman declined to provide further details.

Gangransomware usually publishes attacks and leaks stolen data on the " leak site" (sites) on the web, but as of Wednesday, sites monitoring the portal have yet to detect any groups claiming this hack.

Ransomware is a malicious software used by cybercriminals to encrypt company data and demand payment to release it.

They usually operate in the shadows, and many try to avoid targets that might get unwanted attention from law enforcement agencies.

The attack on Collins Aerospace is the latest in a series of online hacking in Europe that have significant consequences in the real world.

Britain's largest automaker, Jaguar Land Rover, which is owned by India's Tata Motors, said Tuesday that it extended its factory shutdown until October 1 following this month's hack that left its operations paralyzed and made it difficult for smaller suppliers.

Berlin Airport, one of several airports across Europe affected by the Collins Aerospace hack, said on Wednesday it may take a few more days before they have a functioning and secure software again, the BER operator said in a statement.