Some airport disruptions affecting the automated check-in systems in the recent days had been caused by ransomware, the European Cybersecurity Agency said on Monday, warning about the growing risks posed by ransomware attacks to infrastructures and industries.
Cybers threatening could still be seen at the continent’s prime airports on Monday after the hackers downed the automated check-in system made by Collins Aerospace, a company owned by RTX (RTX.N), opens new tab, affecting dozens of flights and thousands of passengers since Friday.
Cybercrime and investigation involving ransomware that locks up data, demanding payment for restored access, has been instituted, ENISA agency declared in a statement but giving no clue as to where the ransomware originated.
” Recently plaguing cyberattacks have targeted governments and corporations alike: For instance, the attack on luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover had forced production to halt.
TARGET HIGHER-PROFILE VICTIMS
Rafe Pilling, Sophos’s director of threat intelligence, said that there have been more ransomware attempts for high-profile victims due to their attraction but that such attacks were not really on the increase.
“Disruptive attacks are becoming more visible in Europe, but visibility doesn’t necessarily equal frequency,” he told Reuters.
“Truly large-scale, disruptive attacks that spill into the physical world remain the exception rather than the rule.”
By the investigation of nearly 1,000 companies by the German industry association Bitkom, malicious software that encrypts data until the victim pays for the restoration, was the leading type of cyberattack, with one in seven companies paying a ransom.
RESTORE CHECK-IN SYSTEMS
One passenger went on to liken the boarding process to the early decades of commercial flying, what with handwritten paper passes. Passengers were being checked in online by means of iPads and laptops in Brussels Airport. A total of around 60 flights had to be canceled on Monday out of some 550 scheduled departures and arrivals.
Dublin Airport was said to be experiencing “minimal impact” and was using some manual processes.
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