Ransomware attack exposes data of 8.7 million MAG airport customers

Manchester Airports Group (MAG) has disclosed that a ransomware attack led to the theft of data belonging to about 8.7 million customers of its three airports: Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands.

According to the company, most of the stolen data consisted of email addresses that passengers had submitted when signing up for airport Wi-Fi. A smaller subset of records also included names, postal addresses, phone numbers, postcodes and vehicle registration details.

MAG has not detailed how the attackers gained access to its systems, nor said whether any operational or safety-related systems were affected. The airports have continued normal operations, based on the available information.

The group said it is notifying affected customers and working to secure its systems following the breach. No timeline for the intrusion or its discovery was given in the available material, and it remains unclear whether any of the stolen data has been published or sold.

Data breaches involving large customer bases have become more frequent across the travel sector in recent years, though the scale of this incident, spanning three major UK airports, is notable. Further details on the investigation and any regulatory response were not available at this time.